Scar, Taka, and Wazimu
by IronicSnap
Summary: In which a powerful evil creature seeks out Rafiki, unintentionally placing Vitani, Nala and Simba in a chronologically fascinating position. Or, to put it in simpler terms, in which Scar's superpowered imaginary friend rips a hole in the space-time continuum. Reviews politely requested.
1. It starts

"Alright then. What's this?"

Vitani examined the leaves the elderly baboon was holding.

"Well, I forget its name, but it's used to numb pain, right?" she eventually answered.

Rafiki pinched the bridge of his nose. "All the herbs do that," he said.

"Then I don't see why the names are important," his student retorted.

Rafiki sighed and stood up, leaning on his stick as he did so. He turned to look at the setting sun. "I think that's enough for today then."

"Alright. I'll try to improve for next time."

Rafiki smiled gently. "I should hope so. The kingdom will need someone with medical knowledge when I'm gone. I greatly appreciate your enthusiasm to learn."

"_You'd better appreciate my enthusiasm, I use up half of it climbing up this damn tree," _thought Vitani to herself as she glanced down at the ground below.

As she was about to climb down, she glanced down again. Two figures were making their way toward the baobab tree, and when one caught sight of Vitani it gave a friendly roar.

Rafiki turned and moved slowly next to Vitani, to get a view of his visitors. When he distinguished Simba and Nala, he chuckled and moved down the tree, moving slower than he once did but still far faster than any lion. Vitani watched him with a degree of jealously, flexing her claws and eyeing the distance nervously.

Rafiki slid down the final root and bowed creakily to the king and queen. "It's good to see you," he said. "To what do I owe the honour?"

"We just came around to see how things were progressing," replied Simba.

"Yes, how are things going, Vitani?" Nala called up cheerfully.

"J-just fine! H-hold on, I'm on the way down!" came the answer.

"You think it would be a good idea to relocate this lessons?" Simba asked Rafiki, a note of concern entering his voice.

"Pfft. She hasn't fallen yet, has she? Besides," added Rafiki, "this old baboon's comfort is of top priority."

"As king, I order you to consider Vitani's evident fear of heights over your own laziness!"

All assembled shared a laugh, except Vitani, who despite having a higher vantage point failed to spot any humour in the situation.

From nearby bushes, two unnatural purple eyes viewed the saccharine scene, and a creature snarled. In its time, it had met all four of them - but no-one knew its name. It needed the baboon - the others were of no consequence as of yet.

One moment, things were light-hearted (if, for Vitani, a little strained) - the next, a blur came from nowhere and slammed into Rafiki, knocking the old shaman off his feet. The royal couple were taken by surprise. Nala reacted first, leaping after the intruder - Simba followed, only to be struck suddenly from above. Vitani, having been as shocked as anyone else, had inadvertently released her grip of the tree, and fell onto her king as a result.

Simba dragged himself upright, only to see his wife sail through the air past him. Growling, he turned to face his opponent. It was hard to distinguish in the twilight, but from what Simba could see it was mostly gray, unnaturally thin and seemingly asymmetrical - some parts of it were far smaller than others. Although it was hard to believe, there also seemed to be a purple outline to its figure - hard to confirm, it was only visible out of the corner of one's eye.

Simba drew himself up to his full regal height, baring his teeth. Nala and Vitani both stood beside him, having both recovered quickly.

"I don't know who - or _what _- you are, but you are going to regret attacking my friends," growled Simba.

There was a glint of white from the figure as its mouth twisted into a smile. It did nothing else, and remained silent.

"Simba," hissed Nala, as she shook her head slightly to clear her head, "what do we do? He's not doing anything…"

"Rafiki's still behind him! He's hurt!" added Vitani in a panicked whisper.

"I know, I know," responded Simba, "but you saw how fast it moves! I don't think we can just attack it…"

"Then why did you threaten it?" muttered Nala, fixing her husband a withering look.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time…"

"_I had not expected to be killed this way…_" thought Vitani.

The figure remained immobile, but squinting, Vitani could see it was twitching very slightly. Rafiki was slowly rolling to his feet behind him, reaching for his stick.

"Damn it, this is too bizarre," said Simba. "I think we should attack him anyway."  
>"I'd disagree, but it does seem odd… he must be trying something," said Nala.<p>

Vitani tensed and bared her teeth.

"No," Nala said, startling the younger lioness. "We don't know what this thing is. It would make more sense for you to run back to Pride Rock and get help."

"What? No! I… I could help you fight this thing!"

"Nala's right," said Simba. "It's safer for everyone, including yourself, if get we reinforcements. This thing is too dangerous."

Vitani was about to respond, when there came a loud noise from the creature. If one were to be exceedingly liberal with the definition of the word, it could be said to resemble a laugh.

Before the lions' eyes, a purple disc was expanding in thin air, from nothing and supported by nothing. The creature was swaying slightly, as its laugh grew more clear.

Rafiki, finally standing, stared at the disc in amazement. The gray figure, in sudden motion, grabbed his arm in its teeth. Then, it jumped forward towards the disc, dragging Rafiki with it. They collided with the disc, and were suddenly gone.

"Wh… what just happened…?" Vitani's voice was shaking, and all three were in shock.

"I have no idea," responded Simba, sagging.

The disc crackled with an odd energy. Nala ran toward it.

"What? What are you doing?" cried Simba.

"Wherever that thing went, it took Rafiki with it. I'm not letting it just wander off!"

Nala approached the disc and gingerly sniffed it. Simba and Vitani ran up next her.

"I have no idea what this is…" murmured the queen.

The disc shook, and began to shrink. As it did so, it began to pull the trio toward it.

"Gah! What's happening?"

"It's really strong!"  
>Struggle as they may, none of the three could resist the suction of the disc, and simultaneously they all slammed into it.<p>

Everything went purple.

They fell for what seemed like an eternity. Vitani was vaguely aware that the royal couple were beside her, but couldn't tell for certain. All she could she was purple, but that was the least of her worries - purple was all she could hear, smell and taste as well.

Eventually, however, the three landed on solid ground. The fall was painful, but Vitani welcomed the pain, partly as it was an indication things had become somewhat more normal, but mostly because it wasn't purple.

She, Simba and Nala all rose slowly to their feet. Each one was shaken by what had just happened. It had been an exceedingly strange ten minutes. Sadly, it was about to become stranger.

Simba heard a noise from behind him, and turned. There, sitting on a rock, was a very scared, golden lion cub.

Simba couldn't shake the feeling the cub was very familiar, somehow. In fact, the location they were in seemed woefully familiar as well - and what was more, it filled Simba with a terrible dread, but he could not place why. But then, his wife gave a choked gasp, and turning again, he saw something which answered some questions, only to raise more - as well as a pressing urge to curl into a quivering ball of wailing fear.

A stampede of wildebeest was trampling toward them.


	2. Stampede in the gorge

Before she knew what was going on, Vitani was fleeing. She, Nala and Simba were running full pelt, Simba having grabbed the cub by the scruff of the neck. All four made no noise - there was no time for screaming.

The wildebeest came thundering toward them, sounding like a booming orchestra of drums. Although the lionesses could easily outrun the panicking creatures, Simba was larger and unused to running for long distances - and his eyes clearly showed that the darkly coincidental situation was having a psychological effect.

After a painfully long chase, Nala and Vitani managed to climb to an elevated platform on the gorge wall, and they helped a struggling Simba and his young cargo up just as the first wildebeest stormed below.

The four stood there, panting, watching the stampede silently. The cub flopped onto the ground and nervously nodded his thanks to Simba, who felt yet another twinge of remembrance.

Tearing her eyes away from the bizarre parade below, Vitani looked up and saw three shadows appear on the wall above her - two large ones and a smaller airborne one. The party above were having a strained conversation, and despite the distance and noise Vitani tried to hear what they were saying.

"- -t -ee h-, y-r -j-st-!"

"N-… -a-, ar- y- -re h- - do- the-?"  
>"-omp-t-l-! H- -as -ght th-, - -at ro-k!"<p>

Vitani prodded the king and queen, motioning for them to listen in as well.

"I- f-y -ow-! Do- -rry, s-r-!"  
>At this, the airborne shadow disappeared downward.<p>

"He- s- -ng… - cou-d- b-r l-sin- -m…"

"Br-he -sy, -fas-. -m su-, wha-ver ha-s, yo- w- - reun- -oo- e-gh."

Vitani jumped and began to climb towards the source of the voices. Pulling herself up, she could see two lions standing on the platform above them, a golden giant with a large red mane and a smaller, darker one next to him. Both were looking down at the stampede, but the larger one looked far more concerned than his companion. In fact, the other lion's green eyes wandered away from the rampage below; and met Vitani's.

The lion gave a startled cry, causing his concentrating brother to start as well. Vitani was also surprised - for the second time in what felt like ten minutes, she released the vertical surface she was holding on to and landed on Simba.

"_I really have to stop trying to climb things…_" she thought, picking herself up.

The two males rushed to the side of the cliff and looked down at the four. The golden one regarded the three adults suspiciously, but when he saw the cub his face lit up.

"Simba!" he cried.

"Dad!" replied the cub joyfully.

"Simba?" spluttered Simba.

"Dad…?" murmured Vitani.

If the cub was indeed Simba, impossible though it seemed, then the large lion now smiling happily down at him was Mufasa; and this in turn meant that the other lion, who was staring incredulously at the unexpected arrivals, was Scar. Scar was notable for many reasons, but two stood out at that moment. Firstly, he was Vitani's father, who she had only met once before his death; and secondly, the three had just interrupted his attempt to kill Mufasa.

The mind-bending implications of what had just transpired set in gradually. Simba had seen Mufasa die; he had touched his father's body mere moments after he had passed away. His younger self had been right there, and indeed, his younger self _was_ right there, trying and failing to climb up the wall, a grin on his face. Mufasa remained very much alive.

Scar was also shocked, as was Zazu, who squawked in surprise when he caught sight of the visitors upon returning. Mufasa was mostly relieved that his son was still safe, but he also gave the three mysterious lions furtive looks.

By this time, the stampede had ceased, leaving all assembled free to speak normally, once they found the words to do so. It was Mufasa, after jumping down to the lower platform to hug his son, who broke the exceedingly awkward silence.

"Who are you?" the king rumbled. It took all of Simba's self-restraint to prevent himself from bursting into tears of confused joy.

The three lions simply stared in awe at Mufasa as their response. Scar, recovering quickly, seized an opportunity.

"Whoever they are, they are trespassing!" he snapped. "I've never seen them before in my life, so they must be outsiders intentionally encroaching on our territory! In fact," he continued, adding a sudden idea to his speech without skipping a beat, "they are probably the ones who caused the stampede!"  
>Mufasa looked from his trusted brother to the unknowns, and his face hardened. He was about to say something when a voice from his foot interjected.<p>

"But Uncle Scar, they were being chased by the wilderbeest! In fact, they're the ones who saved me!"

"Is this true?" asked Mufasa.

Simba wanted to respond, but words failed him. However, Nala managed to say "Y-yes, it is true we saved him, your highness…"

Mufasa smiled warmly. "Then you have all earned my eternal gratitude. We have avoided tragedy by the narrowest of margins, thanks to your sudden arrival. It's odd for a stampede to start so suddenly, and I shall look into it tomorrow, but for now I'd prefer to get my son home. By all means, follow me; you are the pride's honoured guests as of now. Come, it's easiest to climb back up a little bit down this way."

Mufasa slid to the gorge floor and began walking away, his son at his heels. Simba, Nala and Vitani shared looks, and then silently agreed they may as well join him.

"B-but… Mufasa-!" choked Scar from above.

"How absent-minded of me!" Mufasa chided himself. He turned his grinning face up to his brother. "I owe you just as much thanks for alerting me of the stampede. Believe me, I'm touched that despite our differences you still instinctively act to protect Simba. Without you, things would have been very different today."

Still smiling, Mufasa turned and led the others, including a worried-looking Zazu, towards his preferred ascension point.

Scar watched them go, his eye twitching slightly.


	3. A trio of trespassers

The would-be usurper remained standing in the gorge. The arrival of three unknown lions - who had come seemingly from the sky to completely ruin his plan - had left him shaken.

Taka lay down, and swatted at a small rock, sending it tumbling down to the gorge floor. Perhaps it was all a sign that he was going down the wrong path; that killing his own brother was not an option.

After closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, Scar was back to work, immediately planning, factoring in the new arrivals and how the pride would react to them, thinking of how to impede Mufasa's investigation of the stampede, pondering if Simba would ever be useful to him again or if the experience would keep him housebound for some time. He considered of all of this, and more, working new plans, tweaking them, discarding them and starting afresh at a speed which would have most of his peers completely lost.

So engaged was he in his reverie that when a voice boomed through the gorge he almost jumped; but he was far to regal to actually show such surprise in front of commoners.

"Hey, boss!" echoed through the canyon, bouncing off the walls and shattering the deathly quiet. Scar scowled, knowing full well how close by Mufasa and the others could be and the implications of him and the hyenas being seen together.

"Keep it down, you idiot!" Scar hissed in the general direction of the voice. The gorge was still somewhat dusty, so Scar didn't see his henchmen until they drew closer.

"So, what happened?" asked Shenzi, making no effort to be quieter.

"Doesn't look like it _worked_…" muttered Banzai.

"There was an unexpected development," declared Scar. "Rest assured, this is just a minor setback in a major operation. Now, get out of here before Mufasa sees you. I have plans to make."

Scar turned to leave the way he had entered the gorge, his head high.

"Hey, hold on just a second!" Shenzi called after him. "Where's all the food you promised?"

"It's on the way," was the stiff reply.

"Well, my stomach's still complaining!" shouted Banzai. Ed nodded his head violently to express his seconding of Banzai's sentiments.

Scar ignored this, but the next comment he was forced to consider, even if he didn't acknowledge it.

"You get that food to us pronto, or this little deal of ours is going nowhere!"

* * *

><p>Mufasa and his son made their way back to Pride Rock. The king saw no reason to punish Simba, because as far as he could tell the stampede was in no way caused by his son. Besides which, it was obvious to Mufasa that although the cub was putting on a brave face (in an attempt to impress his father, no doubt), he was still shaken by the experience.<p>

Simba was indeed distracted, and just wanted to get home to his mother. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he forgot to ask Mufasa what the surprise he had been waiting for was.

Zazu flew over the two, pleased that no-one had been hurt. However, his somewhat xenophobic nature prevented him from truly relaxing when his king was leading three unknown lions to the pride's home, and he occasionally threw suspicious glances at the party behind them.

Keeping their distance from the others, Simba, Nala and Vitani were having a heated (but quiet) conversation in regards to the inconceivable events which were unfolding. Or, to be more accurate, Nala and Vitani were having a heated conversation, while Simba kept staring at the two lions in front of them.

"No, it can't be. This is all kinds of impossible," muttered Vitani.

"I'm telling you, that's Mufasa! I recognize him!"

"And I saw a lion who looked like Scar. Doesn't mean he actually _was_ my father."

"And the bird? And the cub named Simba?" retorted Nala.

"…There could be lots of lions named Simba."

"Huh, what?" murmured the smaller king, still staring at Mufasa.

"Simba, I know this is hard for you, but we need some kind of plan." said Nala.

"Yeah, that thing still has Rafiki! We need to find them!"

"Rafiki…" Simba breathed. His eyes lit up. "We could go find Rafiki from this time, and ask him to help!"

He turned around, grinning, but neither of his companions seemed impressed by his great idea.

"Simba, we decided to do that a few minutes ago," said Nala slowly.

"We did?"

"Yes. Nala and I were talking about the stampede, and she said we must of travelled back in time - which is ridiculous," added Vitani, rolling her eyes. "Then it occurred to her that if we did travel back in time, which we didn't, and if there's a Mufasa and a Scar, which there aren't, then there should be a Rafiki around as well."

Simba nodded. "Well, you two seem to have things under control. If you'll excuse me…" And with that, he turned his gaze forward again. Nala sighed, although neither she nor Vitani could really fault him.

* * *

><p>Rafiki coughed and rubbed his nose. Disorientated, he sat up. The last thing he could remember was getting attacked by a dark figure, and then a disgustingly large amount of purple.<p>

Wherever he was, it was dark. He squinted, trying to get his eyes to adjust to what little light there was.

A laugh rattled in the surrounding space. Judging from the acoustics, Rafiki was in a cave, and a small one at that.

His host, if such a word was applicable, approached him, his shape gradually becoming clearer. He was a quadruped, like the majority of the residents of the Pridelands, but he walked with a stiff limp, as if not quite at ease with his own body. He was a dirty grey, and his fur was matted and uneven. His eyes were closed and his mouth smiling.

He continued to laugh; it was a terrible sound, and Rafiki could tell from the hoarseness that it was the first time he had used his voice for some length of time. It almost sounded dusty.

Rafiki drew himself up, ignoring the various aches his body was trying to get him to acknowledge. He pulled his face into an expression simultaneously demonstrating his disdain for the current situation and his willingness to better it through any means necessary.

He examined his host further. Despite the darkness, Rafiki could distinguish faded spots on his fur - he was a hyena. In fact, the more Rafiki looked, and the more of the face he could make out, he became certain he had met this hyena before.

"I know you!" he cried eventually, leaning forward. "You're one of Scar's boys. The one who just laughed, yes?"

The laughter intensified, before the hyena suddenly and violently cleared his throat. When he had satisfied himself that he was ready to speak, he lifted his head and looked at Rafiki with disturbingly purple eyes.

"Not quite," he wheezed in a bizarrely sophisticated voice. "Although it _is _true myself and Scar are… connected, shall we say."


	4. We'd love you to stick around for dinner

Mufasa's entourage arrived back at Pride Rock in chronologically incorrect good health. The very fact Mufasa and his young son arrived back at all was an indication that something very wrong was occurring.

The elder Simba seemed less and less composed by the minute, struggling to keep himself looking presentable to the pride who didn't recognize him. He was completely torn. Every second, all assembled were moving further and further down a path which was not supposed to be travelled; but looking at his family, so happy at a time he remembered as panicked tragedy, he could hardly bring himself to oppose what was occurring. His eyes followed his younger self run over to his mother, struggling to grapple with the complexities of watching himself do things he never did.

Nala's eyes too had sought out her past self, almost involuntarily. The cub was behind her mother's leg, staring with wonder at the mysterious new arrivals but unwilling to approach them until the king gave an explanation. The older Nala was just as perplexed, although she did her best to look composed.

Vitani was coping the best of the three, and for good reason. Although she admittedly recognized the surroundings as Pride Rock, she still held firmly on to the belief that they had simply travelled through space, not time; and in the massively unlikely possibility that they had travelled through time, there was no way they were interfering with past events. Vitani liked to think she was reasonably intelligent, and as such she refused to agree with a ludicrous idea like changing the past, no matter how much evidence supported it. Furthermore, she couldn't see her younger self running about, creating minor paradoxes, which went a long way to keeping her calmer than her less fortunate companions. However, this left her with the niggling worry that if something went wrong, a far more dangerous paradox could occur…

"… but then he picked me up and got me out of the way!" exclaimed the small prince, unwittingly pointing at himself.

"I see," replied Sarabi, looking at Simba with gratefulness.

Mufasa chuckled. "I was going to explain things myself, but young Simba has summed things up nicely. Of course, you all see why I invited the trio to stay for a while."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the assembled lionesses. The younger Nala came out form behind Sarafina's leg, and drew a bit closer to the strangers.

"Yes, quite," sniffed Zazu. "Not to steal the thunder of our _visitors_, but I feel obligated to ask if anyone's seen Prince Cheerful."

"No… we left Scar at the gorge. He seemed a bit shaken by the stampede, I decided not to press him," answered the king. Vitani noticed that one of the lionesses in the back of the group was glaring at Zazu.

"Well then, I'd better go look for him," sighed the bird. "If you left him in a completely closed-off cave, he'd still find a way to embarrass the family."

Mufasa chuckled at Zazu's remark as his majordomo took off. The lioness looked positively furious now.

"As for you, you must forgive me," boomed the king as he turned towards the trio. "I neglected on the way over here to ask you for your names."

The three had been prepared for this, Nala realizing early on that pseudonyms would be a necessity for the group.

"Kopa," lied Simba.

"Kiara," lied Nala.

"Vitani," answered Vitani absent-mindedly, still looking at the angry lioness.

Simba and Nala were thrown, but succeeded in hiding it. It was probably alright for Vitani to use her real name - at least, it was better than Simba using his - but at the same time, there was some concern in letting Scar hear the name. Then again, the use of the name "Kiara" was most likely just as dangerous. In any case, it hardly mattered now.

"Excellent," said Mufasa. "Naturally, we expect you to stay for dinner. Is there anything else I can provide for you?"

'Kiara' cleared her throat. "Actually, we'd like to consult with someone regarding a minor medical matter. Do you have someone in the vein of a shaman?"

"I'd direct you towards my advisor Rafiki. He lives in the large baobab tree due west from here. I'd imagine he'd be more than willing to help you."

Nala smiled. "Thanks you so very much, Your Highness. We'll return shortly."

Mufasa bowed. "I should hope so. See you again soon."

The three lions turned and headed towards Rafiki's home. As Simba complimented Nala on how well she had delivered her rehearsed line, Simba approached Nala to discuss the strange guests and brag further about his death-defying experience. Vitani glanced behind herself, and caught sight of the angry lioness giving her a marked look.

* * *

><p>Scar was making a slow and winding way back to his cave, taking care to kick every rock he passed. The shock of what had transpired had long since passed, leaving him only with the all too familiar bitterness he felt over a failure. His meticulous planning, his tenacity, his ambition, and what was he foiled by? Three idiots blundering into the wrong place at the wrong time! It was almost too unfair for words; thankfully, however, Scar was so intelligent he could find plenty of words to describe how unfair it was, and was muttering several under his breath.<p>

He had just gotten past "Inconceivable" when he heard a squawk above him. Zazu flew into view, and Scar's heart sank further.

"A-ha! There you are, you waste of fur," said the bird, landing a safe distance away.

"If it isn't the self-righteous little prattler," spat Scar in reply. "Leave me be, you colourful cretin. I'm in no mood to suffer your company." With that Scar began walking again. Zazu took off and flew just behind him.

"Oh? And why is that, might I ask?"

"You know perfectly well why!" snapped Scar, whirling around. Stopping, he took a long, conspiratorial look around, until he satisfied himself no-one was in ear-shot. He then motioned Zazu to come closer.

"It's those lions," whispered Scar. "I don't trust them as far as I can throw them!"

"_Although, potentially, I could throw them some distance if gravity's on my side,_" he couldn't help but add internally.

"I mean, consider the possibilities, Zazu!" he continued aloud. "They are complete strangers, and worse, Mufasa trusts them absolutely. Think of the damage they could do to the pride if given the chance!"

Scar knew full well Zazu couldn't trust a rock which came from outside the Pridelands, let alone a group of potential usurpers. The bird was now singing his tune, so to speak.

"Well Scar, I hate to admit it, but when you're right, you're right," sighed Zazu. "I suppose the enemy you know is more favourable than the one you don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," sneered Zazu. "I'm returning to Mufasa. You… just try to get home without causing trouble, if that's at all within your abilities."

Scar watched him go, a faint smile on his lips. The manipulation of others was a talent he always had, and took pride in, but making Zazu nervous about outsiders was about as impressive as Mufasa oppressing a limbless hyena, or an equally easy task in whatever it was Mufasa did.

Scar began walking home again, in a slightly better mood. He had taken one step back towards his ultimate goal of claiming the throne. He considered the visitors from a different perspective; perhaps the lies he fed Zazu could be made truth? If he played his cards right, the fools who ruined his first fratricide attempt could prove excellent scapegoats for his second. Kill Mufasa, blame the outsiders, and rise to power after gloriously executing them for their horrendous crimes. A better ascent to the throne couldn't be devised.

"_Oh, I just can't _wait _to be King..._" thought Scar to himself with a smirk.


	5. The truth about my past, impossible

Rafiki spluttered at the surreal vision of Ed speaking in such a refined manner. The hyena seemed amused by this, unsurprisingly.

"What? But you… what?" Rafiki choked.

"There's no need to react so strongly," replied the figure smugly. "I believe you have me confused for someone else."

Rafiki's eyes narrowed. "No," he said. "I don't forget faces, and _you _are most certainly that hyena under Scar. There's no denying it."

The hyena gave an exaggerated sigh, throwing his monochrome eyes up to the ceiling of the cave. "I _suppose _I may as well give you an explanation. As much as I'm enjoying your pitiful confusion, I fear the joke might start to wear a little thin. Besides which, you need to know my situation if you have any chance of helping me."

"Helping you? You honestly think I would volunteer my services towards my kidnapper?" snapped Rafiki.

The hyena fixed his eyes on the elderly baboon, and the smile on his lips died. "I way I see it, shaman," he said slowly and firmly, "you have little choice in the matter."

Rafiki knew that he was trapped in a cave with a being of great power, and feared, reasonably, what could happen if that power was aimed against him in anger. He realized that he was only still alive because the being wanted him alive. In that case, he did have some choice – refuse the being's demands and risk death, or help it, and risk a slightly delayed death. Although it wasn't much of an option, it still warranted long consideration.

While Rafiki debated his position with himself internally, the hyena's smile slowly returned, and he sat comfortably on the rough stone floor. He was blocking the only way out - Rafiki was cornered by cave walls to both sides, and the ceiling was too narrow to jump. Were Rafiki a younger, brasher person, like the king he had been conversing to not so long ago, he would have hit the hyena squarely in the face with his stick and ran – but even discounting his cautious nature and aching bones, his stick was nowhere in sight.

The hyena began to speak again after a pause. "While you consider your single option – for you have but one option, old one – please allow me to regale you with my story."

Rafiki muttered something to the effect to an affirmative.

"I should hope you are paying attention; as I've said, I expect you to be able to help me out of my current predicament. Now, I must warn you, you may find my origin a tad... difficult to believe."

Rafiki, growing ever braver, gave the being a dark look. "Listen you, my best friend is the spirit of a long dead lion, and I once fostered young love by using powerful hallucinogenics. I think whatever you're about to tell me can't surprise me too much; I've seen it all."

The hyena smiled wanly. "Very well then, I shall begin my tale, oh _wise one_. Now, as I recall, you were acquainted with the young lion Taka?"

"You mean Scar? Of course I knew him."

"No, shaman. Let me be clear on this; I speak of the one named Taka. You were there when the buffalo disfigured him, correct?"

"I was," replied Rafiki stiffly.

"You were, in fact, the one who tended to that oh so famous facial feature, while it still bled no less. I understand you had only been in the Pridelands for a short time, but tell me this. Did you notice any marked change in Taka after getting his scar?"

"I can't say I did. He was a nasty little lion beforehand, and a nasty little lion afterwards. Although I suppose it could be argued he got more nasty and less little as time passed."

"Your words are blunt, shaman, but you have brushed upon the crux of the matter. I know I still have not revealed much about myself, but I am fast approaching that point. First, however, I must ask you one final question. You spent many years as Ahadi's advisor, using your judgement to guide him on issues of the state. But tell me this; how does your judgement find his parenting style?"

Rafiki was thrown by the question, as it seemed completely unrelated. However, he gave it some thought. "He certainly made a good mentor for Mufasa, teaching him well in th-"

"_I'm not talking about __**Mufasa!**_" barked the hyena suddenly. His outburst echoed in the tiny space until Rafiki's ears began to hurt. The being kept his face close to Rafiki's for some time, teeth bared, but eventually calmed himself and returned to sitting down.

"I'm not talking about Mufasa," he repeated in an even tone. "I'm inquiring as to your thoughts on how Ahadi treated his second-born."

Rafiki was a little wary about continuing to speak to a creature which could fly into a rage so violently, but answered nonetheless.

"I suppose I must admit it was... lacking. Scar-"

"Taka."

"... Taka was quite clearly jealous of Mufasa, and obviously wanted to be treated more equally. It seemed as though Ahadi thought less of him, somehow. He still looked after Sc... Taka, but was nowhere near as close as he was with Mufasa. I'm sure it could have all been resolved easily had they sat down and spoke about it." Rafiki's face went from sympathy to disapproval. "But by the time I arrived, that little brat was beyond talking things out."

"My my, shaman, perhaps your title is well-deserved after all. You understand Taka's plight perfectly. But to elaborate on that final point; you must accept that Taka did not reach that state of irredeemable hatred overnight. That was after years and years of being neglected, passed over, and even outright ignored by the people who should have held him dearest. Taka was a sensitive soul, however thick-skinned he seemed, and the sorrow and anger was too much for him to bear by himself. This," grinned the being, "is where you could say I come in."

Rafiki gave the being another long examination. He had been wondering why his captor had been speaking only of Scar in what was meant to be the story of his origin, and those last few words had not been the explanation he had been hoping for.

Perhaps just to spite the baboon, the being, so close to revealing his nature, began another tangent. "The Circle of Life is a fascinating thing, isn't it? It usually sticks to its daily business of having grass grow and birds fly and what have you, but when it concentrates around one individual it can perform incredible feats. But you know all this, don't you?"

Rafiki nodded. "When Simba was facing his darkest hour, I was able to guide the Circle's power in order to allow him to speak with his late father."

"Quite. The Circle is drawn to both those in emotional distress and royalty, but only when the two overlap do the really interesting things happen. For Simba, he was able to speak with his father across time, and for Taka, he received the one thing he needed most in the world; a friend."

Rafiki stared in slow-dawning horror at the being in front of him – the being with deep, solely purple eyes, which seemed to be inside a body which was not its own.

"No... No, it's not possible... you are that... 'Friend'?"

The hyena laughed heartily, although Rafiki now knew it was not a hyena, but merely using one. "Oh-ho, how smart you are, shaman! It would've taken others I could name weeks to reach that conclusion!"

"But... it cannot be! There is no way a being can simply be willed into existence from nothing!"

"But shaman, I did not come from nothing. I came from misery, from rage, from pain, and from madness. You may call me," said the creature with a mocking bow, "Wazimu."


	6. Very peculiar

The journey to see Rafiki was held in silence. All three lions were deep in thought.

"I don't think I can make it through dinner," said Simba eventually.

His two companions sympathized, but had no words to comfort him with.

"I mean, he's alive," continued Simba, mostly talking to himself. There was no confusion as to the identity of 'him'. "He's actually alive. I saw him die, and then I saw him... not die. He's back there, perfectly fine, with his son. With me." Simba tried to keep talking, but the words died in his mouth. Instead, he cleared his throat, and looked at the ground.

There was another long, long pause. All three had so much they wanted to say, but none had the courage to put their thoughts into words.

It wasn't long before the three displaced lions arrived at the baobab tree where the shaman lived. Vitani looked at the surrounding area. It was unmistakably the place they had been before the stampede, staring at a cackling figure that was standing in the twilight. But now there was no figure, and it was a bright sunny day; neither of which made things any less eerie.

Vitani thought Simba would have hailed the baboon, but he was still looking squarely downwards. Nala gave Vitani a look, indicating silently that the youngest member of the trio should probably handle the talking for now.

Vitani cleared her throat and called up the tree. "Is Rafiki there?"

To the slight relief of the three lions, there was a response. "Who is that? I don't recognize your voice. I must apologize, but you'll have to return to me later. I'm about to visit the king."

There was a pause while Rafiki, who still was out of sight, sniffed the air.

"Speaking of... Simba, is that you? And... Nala? What are you two doing with a stranger? And why do you seem different?" The elderly shaman peered over the edge of his tree, and his eyebrows rose.

"Oh," he said slowly.

Rafiki poked Simba sharply behind the ear. All three lions jumped, unused to Rafiki moving as fast as he once did.

"Well, this is very peculiar," said the baboon, as if he was talking about the weather.

"It's... a little hard to explain," said Nala meekly. "We seemed to have... travelled through time."

Rafiki gave her a long, hard look. "Seems a tad unlikely, no?"

"That's what I said!" yelled Vitani.

"It's bizarre, yes, but we are back during the childhood of Simba and I. We even saw our younger selves. In fact, Vitani here hasn't been born yet."

The shaman stroked his chin. "Normally, I'd say you are lying. Or crazy. Or both! But my nose has never let me down before, and you too are unmistakably who you say you are. At least, who _you _say you two are," he said, indicating to Nala while giving the silent Simba a look. "As for you," Rafiki continued, swivelling around, "you seem familiar too. Who are your parents?"

"Zira and Scar," said Vitani clearly. She held her gaze to the baboon's almost defiantly, as if daring him to express shock or distaste.

Instead, Rafiki burst out laughing. "Really? Ha! I should have known, the way she looks at him! Just a shame our _clever_ prince has yet to even notice her..."

Vitani's face expressed concern for a moment; the niggling worry had returned to her. If they had successfully changed events by trespassing on the past, and her parents were not even courting yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that their very presence could prevent Scar and Zira from ever becoming close – and the implications of such an occurrence affected Vitani in an obvious and powerful way.

Despite the gloom of his visitors, Rafiki continued to laugh merrily.

"Call me crazy, and many do, but I have decided," he said. "Maybe you aren't time travellers, but you gave me a good laugh, so I shall see what I can do to help you."

"What do you suggest we do?" asked Nala.

"Well, I will look into this tonight. I shall consult with the kings of old, read signs from nature, break open some fruit... you know, mystic things," said Rafiki patronizingly. "But for now, I promised to visit Mufasa, and I really must go."

"So you're putting off helping us until tonight," summarized Vitani.

"Yes, that's about it," smiled Rafiki. With that he started walking away.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Nala called, running to catch up. Vitani went after them, and Simba half-heartedly followed suit. "What are we supposed to do until then?" asked the former queen concernedly.

"Well, we have some time while we arrive to Pride Rock. Is there anything you wish to tell me? Have you met anyone from your "past" yet?"

"Oh, we did more than meet them," said Simba darkly.

"Simba, are you sure you want to tell Rafiki this?" asked Nala.

"Well, better than telling Mufasa..." muttered Vitani.

"Besides," said Simba, lifting his gaze from the ground for the first time in what felt like months. "I really need to tell _someone_."

Simba recounted to Rafiki the one event which had single-handedly shaped his life – the event which changed who was on the throne, the event which drove him away from his home, the event which had left a spectre of guilt haunting him his entire life. The event which had killed his father.

He then recounted that event pointedly not taking place.

"Well now, that _is _interesting," murmured the baboon when he had finished. "You're either telling the truth, or you are a very, _very _impressive liar. But I have a question: why didn't you tell your father that he was meant to die?"

"Well, he'd hardly believe me. Like you said yourself, chances are we're lying or crazy. Besides which, I can barely speak to him... It's so weird to see him alive again after all these years, I just end up staring."

Vitani coughed nervously. "I've... been thinking, too. I don't want Mufasa to find out, because then he might do something to Scar. And if Scar gets exiled, or worse, before he meets Mother..." Vitani trailed off.

"Your situation sounds awkward, to say the least," responded Rafiki sympathetically. "I'd advise, if you can, to keep your distance from the pride."

"But Mufasa expects us for dinner! We saved his son!" protested Simba, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Well, if you saved his son, surely you can come and go as you please?" replied the shaman levelly. "Just stay out of their way as much as possible. Make it seem like you are shy. I doubt anyone is that suspicious of you."

"Well, Scar is, but no-one listens to him," remarked Nala drily.

"Precisely! Stay away from people you know... or, uh, knew, until you've calmed down a bit. I'd tell you to avoid them all together, but you may be here a while."

They were nearing Pride Rock by this point. Rafiki stopped, and the others did the same.

"I think it best if I go on alone from here. Find a place to order your thoughts. Good luck to you. And don't worry," smiled the baboon, "I'll be sure to put in a good word for you to Mufasa."

With that he was gone, leaving three anxious lions standing in the savannah.


	7. What do YOU want?

Scar dragged a claw across the dirt floor of his meagre home. He had been there for some time now, considering how best to proceed. He had formulated the stampede scheme in its entirety in less than a day, and had simply taken that as yet another indicator of his intelligence. However, as the hours ticked past, an ever more insistent voice in Scar's head kept whispering that perhaps it was all just a fluke. The one thing Scar hated more than the whispering voices in his head were the voices which were right.

A voice cut through the silence, and surprisingly, it came from outside Scar's skull. The prince jumped up and whirled around, as though he had been caught doing something illicit instead of being found merely thinking.

"Oh, my apologies. I didn't mean to startle you, brother," called deep but soothing tones from the entrance of the cave.

"Ah... Mufasa... Always a pleasure," coughed Scar. "Um, I can explain."

"There's no need, Scar. I know why you're on edge."

Scar forced himself not to convey surprise. "Oh? Really?"

"You may try to hide it, but you don't have to. The stampede today affected all of us deeply."

It spoke well of Scar's improvisational skills how quickly and smoothly he fell into the role of "shocked witness".

"I know, I know. So unexpected, so sudden, and poor Simba... I can honestly say I didn't expect everyone to go through it unharmed."

Mufasa gave a slight smile. "Ever the pessimist. Still, you played a huge part in ensuring everyone's safety. I still can't thank you enough."

Scar took Mufasa's gratefulness humbly. "So, do you still intend to investigate it?"

Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "Well, yes. Why, should I not?"

Scar inspected his claws. "Well, it just seems to me that, as horrifying as it was, it was probably a random occurrence. What is it they say? 'Sometimes bad things happen, and there's nothing you can do about it.' Or something to that effect."

"I see," replied the king thoughtfully. "Well, I'll certainly take that on board. I know that I'd rather not spend all of tomorrow trying to get answers out of damn wildebeest, especially when we have visitors I'd rather converse with... Scar, is something wrong?"

Mufasa had noticed his brother's face take on a pained expression. "Mufasa, I sometimes fear you are far too trusting. Aren't you at all concerned about these mysterious trespassers?"

Scar had hoped he could instil some kind of paranoia in his older brother. However, while Mufasa was easy to manipulate, he was easy to manipulate in ways different from how Zazu was easy to manipulate. The king laughed off Scar's question.

"Scar, they helped you save my son! They are perfectly deserving of my trust. Providing them with some hospitality is the least I can do for them. Speaking of, I had better check that everything is in order for our feast tonight. But before I go, there is one other matter I wish to attend to." Mufasa regarded his brother with sympathetic eyes. "I also wanted to make sure you were doing alright. Like I said, we were all shaken, and I don't want to think you're trying to ignore any anxiety you may be feeling."

"Oh _please_ Mufasa," responded Scar. He rolled his eyes, and then closed them, acting more like his sarcastic self. "I'm sure you have far better things to worry about than my _emotional well-being._"

Suddenly, Scar was being constricted. He panicked, wondering if he had finally pushed Mufasa too far and caused his older brother to attack him. His eyes shot open, and he observed with almost indescribable embarrassment that his brother had trapped him in a fraternal hug.

"I'm always here for you, Scar," rumbled the king cheerfully. "I want you to remember that."

Mufasa broke the hug after a few decades, and grinned at his younger sibling. "See you at the gathering tonight. Try not to spend too long by yourself in here, hmm?" With that he left.

The prince was more than glad to see him go. Taka felt touched that his brother still cared so deeply for him. Scar felt like Taka was indeed in need of some touching, specifically a hard slap across the face.

Laying back down, Scar took a deep breath and forced his thoughts into line. That was probably what was causing these delays; he was always arguing with himself, hearing different voices, his thought processes cluttered by a cacophony of sound and disagreement. If he could only focus himself on the task, he would be king in no time.

But should he be king? Mufasa was doing such a good job, far better than Scar could probably do; realistically, Scar had no knowledge of how to rule. Besides, the only way for Scar to become king would be to actually murder Mufasa, and surely that wasn't an option? He had tried once before, and was stopped miraculously. Was that not a sign that he should wash his paws of these horrible machinations before something terrible happened?

Scar growled, slamming his paw into the ground as though to punish himself. That was exactly the kind of spineless gibberish which was slowing his righteous ascent to the throne! Scar grabbed his head and hummed to himself. He was developing a splitting headache, and needed calm, serenity, and silence.

"Hey, here he is!" screeched a voice which filled Scar with an overwhelming rage. He spun around, snarling, and saw the three hyenas standing proudly at the mouth of his cave, in the exact spot Mufasa had been a few distressingly short moments ago.

"Y-you idiots! You morons! Imbeciles, nitwits, _dunderheads, dolts, numbskulls,_ _**FOOLS!**_" roared Scar, losing his royal composure in an instant. "Mufasa is painfully close by! Get out of here **now!**"

Shenzi met his furious gaze with a smirk and worrying confidence. "Well, that's great news. Mufasa's just the lion we wanna talk to. Right, Banzai?"

"Oh yeah," grinned Banzai. "We've been thinking. We need food pronto, and you need Mufasa to be unprepared when you make your move, otherwise he'll kick your ass. So we put two and two together. You'll get us the food now, or else, what'll we do, Ed?"

There was deathly silence in the cave. Ed stared into space, a look of dull fear frozen on his face. Scar couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Ah, don't mind him," said Shenzi dismissively. "He's been like that for a while. We walked past a cave and he picked up a scent which spooked him." She turned her eyes back towards her short-lived employer. "What we're trying to tell you, your Highness, is that we'll tell Mufasa of your little game."

Scar snarled. He told them that that was ridiculous; that Mufasa would never hear them out; that even if he did, he'd believe his dear brother over some mangy hyenas that attacked his son. But as he made all these points, his voice grew raspier and weaker. He was right, he was telling the indisputable truth: but as the panic crept into his voice, the Shenzi and Banzai smiles became wider and wider.

"Well, I guess that's all true," chuckled Shenzi, "but from the sounds of things, you'd don't want to risk it."

"Shenzi, Shenzi, Shenzi!" giggled Banzai, "I think we should tell Mufasa anyway! The look on Prince Dirt's face will be better than food!"

"You might just have a point there. Oh, _Mufasaaaaaa_!"

Scar sized up the situation. The best course of action would be to pounce, start a brawl with the hyenas, and hope Mufasa was actually on the way. He could drive them off with the help of his stronger sibling after claiming, somewhat truthfully, that the hyenas had come to his home to attack him. Mufasa would certainly believe that over any ridiculous stories of an inter-racial allegiance formed for a regicide attempt.

But if Mufasa wasn't on his way, he'd be starting a fight he had no chance of winning. Even without being outnumbered, Scar's head felt like it was about to break into two pieces. His vision was blurring, his stance growing shaky, and worst of all, the damn hyenas were noticing. Scar thought the hug was embarrassing, but at least Mufasa's bizarre display of affection didn't threaten his life.

"_This is by far the worst way to die,"_ thought Scar pitifully to himself.

"I say we skip the political intrigue," said Shenzi, leading her two companions to advance. "From the looks of things, we might just get a meal right here, right now."

Scar bared his teeth and tried to roar. All he could manage was a croak, and yet a leonine battle cry still echoed through the cave, causing the hyenas to freeze in shock.

A paw slammed into the side of Shenzi's head, sending her barrelling into Ed. Banzai whipped around and got scratched hard in the face, and then smacked into the wall of the cave. Scar's ally leaped forward and clawed at the male hyena's torso until he wiggled away and ran out of the cave, yelping. The other two hyenas looked from him, to Scar, to their assailant, and then both fled as well.

"And don't come back!" yelled Scar's saviour.

Scar sat down, pinching the bridge of his nose. First Mufasa's visit, then becoming weak in front of his former minions, and then having to be saved from the latter; it had been an humiliating evening. He just wanted to roll over and sleep for a month or two.

Someone in the cave coughed meekly. Scar had almost forgotten about his rescuer. From the sound of it, it certainly wasn't Mufasa – probably a lioness. So not only did he need to be saved from dullards who could barely keep themselves fed, he was saved by a _female_. Joy of joys.

The prince raised his eyes, and for a moment was taken aback. He recognized the lioness vaguely; he had seen her around the pride, and she seemed to have some kind of odd interest in him. Taka had to admit that her eyes had a certain... quality. For once, he was at a loss for words.

This put the lion under a bit of pressure when she asked "Are you alright, my liege?"

Scar coughed. "Oh, yes, eh, of course. It was nothing I couldn't handle myself naturally, but your assistance is greatly... appreciated."

The lioness smiled shyly, and averted her gaze, trying not to blush. Scar realized he was staring, and decided it was probably judicious to get this strange lioness out of his home before he was embarrassed further.

"I don't seem to remember you telling me your name," Taka prompted gently.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, your Highness. My name is Zira."

"Zira... not a bad name. Again, I thank you for your timely intervention."

"It was nothing, my liege. I was just, uh... passing by your cave, and heard a commotion."

Scar was an experienced liar, and could almost taste one so painfully obvious, but he let it slide.

"Well, from the bottom of my heart, I am very grateful, Zira. However, if you could keep this just between us, I would be most glad; I don't think the pride needs to worry about such an occurrence."

Zira looked a little confused for a second, but then nodded. "Of course, your Highness. Um, again, I'm glad I could help." With that she went to leave.

"Wait," called Taka. Zira turned around, and their eyes met. "Would you do me the honour of sitting with me at our little feast tonight?"

Zira's face lit up. "Wow, really? Um, that is to say, yes, of course, your Highness!"

The lioness, barely containing her excitement, walked out of the cave.

"_Great, yet another insufferable distraction_," thought Scar bitterly to himself as Taka's wide eyes watched her leave.


	8. Far too much to take in

"Wazimu?" asked Rafiki, keeping a level gaze on the creature in front of him.

"I thought it a fitting name." There was a smirk on the hyena's face. "After all, it was quite crowded in Taka's head once I arrived. We had such lively debates. I was always happy to have discussions with him, suggest different ways of looking at or doing things. He was a little less enthusiastic – those first few weeks were somewhat awkward for us – but after that buffalo incident he and I grew a lot... _closer_."

"Is that why he renamed himself?"

"Hmm, I suppose so. Taka didn't rename himself to Scar; rather, Scar came to be. Gah... How best to explain this?"

Wazimu bent down, examining the ground. He closed his eyes, as though trying to concentrate on something. After a while, he grimaced and muttered to himself. "Fine then, I'll do it the boring way. This is exactly what I need to fix..."

As Rafiki tried to puzzle out what he meant, the hyena drew two circles next to each other on the dust below them.

"See this, shaman? This circle represents me, and this one Taka. We're just about touching, but there's no overlap." He then moved over a bit and drew another two circles, this time so that a substantial area was inside both. "Now, this is the two of us after he got disfigured. We joined to some degree, so that there was a part of the whole which came from us both. That part was Scar, and was an entity onto himself."

The baboon was finding this increasingly difficult to follow. The fact that a mind was created from the Circle of Life was bizarre enough – but now he was being told that another mind was formed from a fusion of that mind and another.

"In summary," murmured Rafiki, "there were now three minds where there should have been one..."

"Right you are. I realized this, and from that point on I quieted down a bit. I spent most of my time trying to prevent Taka getting a word in, because Scar was far more fun behind the steering wheel. One could say I almost became dormant, spending all that time focusing on silence, but I still managed to _manifest_ myself in the real world."

Rafiki rubbed his forehead. "Usually I am the one who speaks in riddles! You have lost me again."

The hyena's face registered displeasure. "Usually, you are the one who can keep up with conversation. However, I will still explain my meaning. This is the crux of the matter, after all."

Wazimu settled comfortably on the stone floor. Rafiki took this as a sign that the being was about to talk at length, and sighed internally. He was getting sick of the creature's raspy voice.

"When I first was called into being, I couldn't do much. My only ability was to try and persuade Taka to be more exciting, and that almost always failed anyway. But the longer I spent on this sandy rock you call a kingdom, I began to realize I could do things. Very small things, mind you... I recall the first thing I did. It was raining outside, and the noise was irritating Taka. I wanted the noise to be even louder, just to spite him, and maybe eventually make him do something interesting out of annoyance."

Those off-putting purple eyes seemed to grow distant. "It was almost unnoticeable, but the noise _did _get a little louder. I had made it rain more strongly. Not the most impressive of beginnings, but as time went by I could do more and more."

Rafiki considered this development. It was the Circle of Life which decided on the weather patterns; if Wazimu was indeed a direct product of the Circle, there was a small and horrifying possibility that he could have some small influence on the weather as well.

"I had some great fun, and what made it especially amusing was that Scar and Taka never found out. Ambitiously, I tried to hit Simba with a lightning bolt when he returned to claim the throne. Scar loved the irony of throwing Mufasa's son off of a cliff, but I thought it would have been even better had he been on fire at the time." Wazimu made an exaggeratedly sheepish face. "But my aim isn't so good, and I missed. Still, I was able to make the resulting fire spread pretty quickly, so it wasn't a complete failure. A learning experience, if you will."

The shaman was growing ever more nervous hearing the creature speak so merrily of his abilities to cause destruction. Rafiki hadn't forgotten that this psychopath had asked for his help, and he was not looking forward to being told what it was exactly he was supposed to do.

"But by far the work I take most pride in was what I did during Scar's reign. He had fun for the first month or so after claiming the throne, revelling in his power by intimidating his subjects and laughing at their petty complaints. But after a while, the energy drained out of him. He lazed around in the king's quarters, barely ever leaving. It was quite sad really. So I decided that as his friend, I needed to help him. The one thing a sharp mind like Scar needs is a challenge; so I concentrated hard, and managed to start a nice, strong drought."

Rafiki's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "Y-you caused that?"

"Of course I did!" Wazimu practically chirped. "It was a bit useless in the end because Scar just ignored it, but I still think I pulled it off very well. Of course, between keeping Taka quiet and maintaining constant control over the clouds I never got a single word in, but by that point Scar didn't need me, having already transcended sanity quite nicely."

"I can't believe this... we thought it was of because of Scar's uncaring reign."

Wazimu looked at Rafiki with a look of genuine puzzlement. "What, really? That's completely ridiculous. How could a king ruin the entire ecosystem just by being lazy? Honestly," he muttered, bringing a paw to his forehead, "and they say _I'm_ insane..."

He straightened up. "Well, I suppose you're half right. I did do it because Scar was being lazy. But we are letting the main point elude us. What I am trying to get across is that it seems I have certain powers. I have a vague idea of what I can do, but I've only really mastered control over the weather. I know I'm capable of other feats as well."

"Such as creating flashes of light," said Rafiki apprehensively.

"Ha! A little more complex than that, I can tell you!" The hyena's face grew serious once more. "But there is one power I need you to help me with, more than most. You've already noticed that this is indeed the body of the hyena you recognized, if not the mind, yes?"

Rafiki nodded impatiently. He knew he wouldn't like what he was about to hear, but he wanted the being to give his explanation and be done with it.

"Well, it was obvious that a body about to be torn to shreds by hyenas was useful to no-one. What wasn't quite as obvious was the fact I could apparently jump ship. One second, I was watching, disgusted, as Taka made the great and powerful King Scar beg for his life, and the next, I was seeing the same pitiful display from the outside."

"From the eyes of the hyena?"

"Precisely. I couldn't tell you how, but I gained control of this simpleton. It was refreshing to be in charge of an entire body for once." Wazimu seemed nostalgic for a moment, but then his mood dampened a bit. "It became something of a trial by fire, however, when the hyenas realized something was wrong. I don't know if you've ever had to flee from a frightened and angry mob, shaman, but it is very difficult to do so when you have never walked a step in your life before."

"Oh, my heart bleeds for you," muttered the baboon, not even looking at the creature anymore.

"**Enough of that lip!**" shouted Wazimu suddenly, causing Rafiki to jump. Clearly patiences were wearing thin for both parties. Wazimu took a deep breath, and continued in an even tone.

"I found solitude eventually, far from this miserable little pile of imbeciles that passes for a kingdom. I furthered my control over the weather, and even worked out how to jump back to previous points in time. It's all quite simple when you're as connected to the Circle as I am. But there is one thing which has continued to escape me."

"What was that about travelling through time?" asked Rafiki, nonplussed, but Wazimu ignored him.

"The problem is," the being went on sadly, "is that this body was not exactly my ideal choice to begin with, and that was before years of age. So, I decided that before this hyena withers and dies, myself along with it, I would seek out the wise and all-knowing Rafiki, and _humbly request_ his assistance."

Rafiki gave a bleak look around his surroundings. "And why are we in this cave?"

"Because I didn't expect you to be so heavily protected, I got over-excited, and we ended up fleeing here," said Wazimu without missing a beat. "And with your questions out of the way – your questions _are _out of the way, yes? Excellent... with your questions out of the way, we can get to work."

The creature's grin made Rafiki's stomach turn.


	9. There's one in every family

The three hyenas hid behind a rock, gasping for breath. Banzai gingerly touched one of his wounds and winced.

"Why am I always the one to get hurt?" he whined.

"Shut up, would ya? I'm trying to think," panted Shenzi.

The leader of the trio sat down and started to rub her forehead. Banzai continued to check his injuries, his expression mixing frustration and worry. Ed simply stared forward, still inexplicably fearful.

Suddenly, Shenzi's ear twitched, and she sat bolt upright. "Shut up, Banzai!" she hissed, despite the fact Banzai was silent. She sniffed the air, and looked thoughtful.

Moving slowly forward, with the other two in tow, Shenzi poked her head slowly over a large rock. She saw three lionesses carrying two felled wildebeest between them, moving with difficulty back to Pride Rock.

"That's a little more than they usually get in a day..." said Banzai, his mouth watering.

"And look at the ground." The leader of the hyenas indicated to trails leading to the lion's home. The bodies being currently dragged along were leaving very similar trails. "Seems to me like they're stocking up on food for some reason."

"Damn lions..." was all Banzai said in response.

The three outlaws sat in silence. For a few moments they just enjoyed the show of their so-called superiors struggling with their heavy load.

"Shennnnziiiii..." wheedled Banzai. She sighed internally, knowing exactly what he was going to ask.

"No, I don't think we should try to scrounge some. The place is crawling with lions. Do _you _want to tell Mufasa that we'd like any leftovers he has?"

"Come on, what could go wrong? We just skulk around in the bushes for a bit, wait for them to go inside or fall asleep or whatever, and then nab some food!"

Shenzi's mind had plenty of counter-arguments, but her stomach delivered its side of the debate very loudly.

"Oh fine," she spat. "But if anyone spots us, I'm leaving you behind as lion bait. You in, Ed?"

The third hyena nodded half-heartedly.

* * *

><p>Vitani sat outside the cave the trio had chosen to calm themselves. She stared, bored, into the small pond which was nearby.<p>

Inside, the former royal couple sat next to each other. Nala remained silent while Simba tried to hum an upbeat song he had learned when he was young, but after a while he sighed loudly.

"Kind of hard to maintain a 'no worries' attitude..." he murmured.

Nala nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure this is hard for you..."

"It's so strange to see my father again. I mean..."

"Do you know what the key word in that sentence is, Simba?" interrupted a voice from outside. The couple looked up to see Vitani entering the small cave. "_Again_. It's strange to see your father, _again_. With that word, you're showing that you're better off than me."

"You never met Scar?" asked Nala.

Vitani grimaced and sighed. "Well, technically, I guess I did once. I can't remember it; I was way too young at the time. But Nuka was there, and one day when Mother was out hunting I pestered him and pestered him until he finally told me. It was something like..."

* * *

><p>Nuka looked around, admiring in the lands his father proudly ruled over. Sure, there might have been a few flaws in the ecosystem – the fully grown tree being pushed along the ground by a gentle breeze was a bit concerning – but Nuka's faith in Scar's intelligence was unshakable. Father had a plan, and was no doubt putting it into practice right at this moment.<p>

The lion cub was pulled out of his optimistic reverie by a harsh voice coming from a cave behind him.

"**Nuka! **Stop daydreaming and get moving!"

Nuka would have guessed that yelling while right next to a newborn probably wasn't a great idea, but what did he know? As his mother frequently reminded him, he was an idiot. Besides, Mother might have done the exact same thing when he was born, and he could hear things.

In any case, Nuka took his parent's point and after a stuttered apology he scampered off. King Scar didn't often leave his royal quarters – his son supposed he was too busy planning and managing and being regal to make inspections of his subjects and such. However, he could be occasionally coaxed out if someone could successfully convince him that something important was going on, and Scar's definition of "important" was "involving Scar". The birth of his second child probably fell under that category.

The young male started to ascend Pride Rock. Zira and Nuka - and now the new cub - all lived in what was the communal living space under Mufasa, but was now reserved for the King's immediate family only. The rest of the lionesses, who were forced to sleep outside, couldn't really remember when King Scar had decreed this change, but no-one really felt like raising the issue.

Scar spent his time in a smaller, higher cave, carved into Pride Rock's face. He even had his food delivered there, and some nights he would sleep there as well, ignoring the larger, warmer space he had apparently cordoned off for himself and his family.

As Nuka continued up the winding path, he passed some hyenas sullenly lazing around. They watched him in silence as he passed. As he left them behind, he thought he could make out one of them mutter something, and another chuckle darkly in response.

Soon, Nuka stood nervously at the mouth of the King's cave. As much as he loved his father, he could be a bit intimidating at times. He probably didn't even realize it. Nuka would have told him, but he felt Scar definitely didn't want a coward for a son.

Entering the room delicately, the cub saw it was empty, save for the ribcage in the corner, the small and unhappy home of a small and unhappy bird.

"Hey, feather-bag," said Nuka cheerfully. Zazu was one of the few people around who didn't seem to maintain a constant urge to kick Nuka, although the cage might have been a factor in that. "Do you know where Father is?"

Zazu didn't say anything; instead, his response was merely to look at the cub with sympathetic eyes. Nuka was about to ask why this was the case, when suddenly a battle cry shattered the silence. Before he knew what was happening, Nuka was rolling across the ground, having received a powerful blow from behind.

"Ah-ha!" bellowed Scar triumphantly. "You see, Zazu? By perching on the ledge over the entrance of the cave, I can ambush any potential usurper!"

"Yes, and _clearly_ sitting up there for two hours, just so that you could knock over your son, was the perfect use of the king's time," was the sarcastic reply.

Scar ignored the bird, and padded over to Nuka, who picking himself off of the floor. "So, Nuka!" he boomed happily. There was the slightest of pauses after the first word, almost as though he had to take a moment to remember his only son's name. "Why are you interrupting Daddy's pondering time?"

Nuka's brow furrowed momentarily. Surely Scar could work out why he was here; was this a trick question? If it was, the young lion couldn't work out the trick answer, so he just told the truth. "Uh, Father... you have a daughter now."

Scar's smile didn't waver. "Son, I have no idea what you're talking about." Zazu sighed quietly from the corner.

The situation was quickly getting out of Nuka's grasp, so he tried another tactic. "Um, Mother wants to see you. Urgently."

Scar rolled his eyes. "What does she want _now_? I just saw her!"

"Sire, if I may be so bold as to correct you, your wife has not left her home for several days, and you've only left this area once during that time period," interjected Zazu.

"What did I do when I left the cave?"

"As I recall, yell abuse at the moon, Sire."

"And I had damn good reason!" yelled Scar, sending a bone clattering across the floor to emphasise his point. "Even if I can't seem to recall it at the moment... In any case, let's go see your mother."

Scar breezed out of the cave, Nuka trailing behind him. Zazu seized the rare opportunity to get a few minutes of sleep, pulling a wing over his eyes and leaning against a bone.

As Scar passed, the hyenas tried to stand and salute him, although the results were a bit crooked due to hunger. One hyena went to stand up and tripped over herself, causing the others break into stifled laughter and Scar to shoot her a dark look.

Soon the king was within view of his family's quarters. "This had better be important..." he muttered. Nuka was unsure as to how to respond.

Turning the corner and entering the cave, Scar's eyes met disinterestedly with Zira's. However, when he saw the little hairball the lioness was holding, his face lit up.

"That hairball is my daughter! So _that's _what you meant." Scar turned his head to chide Nuka. "Son, you must really kick this habit you're developing of speaking in riddles, it's really quite irritating."

Leaving his perplexed son, Scar approached the new arrival, and gingerly prodded her on the nose. She sneezed in response. "Fascinating!" cried Scar enthusiastically. With that, he promptly turned to leave.

Zira practically spluttered. "B-but, you just got here! We haven't even decided on a name!"

"'Vitani' will do nicely," replied Scar, without even breaking his stride.

Anger began to creep into Zira's voice. "You intend to just leave us again, right after you've been blessed with another child?"

Scar whipped around suddenly, his upbeat expression having been replaced with open fury. "**Look how the last one turned out!**" he roared, not caring in the slightest that Nuka was only a few feet away. "While you're down here, looking after these, _things, _**I'm **trying to run a kingdom full of traitors and liars!" the king snarled. "They're even starving themselves to blame **me **of wrongdoing! And what do I get in terms of familial support? You two..."

As he stared up at his father, who he had boundless respect for – until just now, that is – Nuka couldn't help but notice that one of Scar's eyes was twitching.

In a disturbingly quiet tone of voice, Scar concluded his outburst with "I can only hope 'Vitani' turns out less of a disappointment to me than either of you." With that, he stormed out, leaving his wife and two children in a crushing silence.

* * *

><p>There was a similar silence when Vitani finished relating the tale to the royal couple.<p>

"Quite the family portrait..." said Nala eventually.

"You don't know the half of it," muttered Vitani darkly. "How do you think Zira got that notch in her ear?"

"I know first-hand that Scar made a terrible uncle," said Simba, "but I never really considered how bad a father he'd make. I mean... well, I'm sorry."

"No need to be, wasn't your fault," answered Vitani offhandedly. Tellingly, she was looking away, as she often did when appreciating the words of another person.

"On consideration, it kind of _was_," Simba replied gravely. His face took on a determined air as he stood up. "I think we should make full use this rare opportunity, and _evict_ Scar from the Pridelands. Permanently."

"What?" both lionesses yelled in unison. "Simba, that's crazy!" shouted Nala as she sprang to her feet. "There's no wa-"

"_What's _crazy?" came a sharp voice from outside. The trio turned suddenly, as though they'd been caught committing a crime. They only relaxed slightly when Zazu flew in.

"Oh, uh, nothing, Zazu," stuttered Simba unconvincingly.

Zazu raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sure. In any case, I was sent to inform you that the meal will commence shortly. King Mufasa would hate you to miss any of it." The bird's tone made it clear that on this matter, his and the king's opinions differed.

"Of course. Well, let's go," said Nala, gently urging the others to follow her.

Zazu haughtily stepped outside and watched them walk away. He was about to take off when a frightening realization hit him.

"_Hold on... I never told them my name..._"


	10. A heavy heart

Mufasa cast his eye over the area being prepared for the feast. There wasn't much in the way of decoration – just a large stone slab which had been steadily collecting a growing pile of food. A few lionesses lay scattered around, tired from the hunting which had been sprung on them suddenly.

The king finished his inspection and smiled warmly. "Good work, everyone," he grinned. "From the looks of things, we'll have put together quite a meal for our guests."

Sarabi came up to her husband, and lightly nudged him. "How are things progressing?"

Mufasa turned to his wife. "Excellently! Everything is coming along very nicely."

Sarabi nodded somewhat tersely. "Good, good..."

Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, dear?"

"I co-ordinated the hunts, as usual. Every lioness was accounted for, except Zira. In fact, I haven't seen her for some time."

"I wouldn't be too concerned," replied the king loftily.

"And why is that?"

"Because," said Mufasa, gesturing to his left, "she's hiding in that bush."

Sarabi looked severely at the bush in question, and sheepishly, the younger lioness came out into the open.

"Care to explain yourself?" asked the queen darkly, while her husband worked hard to stifle his laughter.

"I, um, missed the start of the hunt, and... didn't know how to join it again without drawing attention to myself."

Sarabi's gaze remained hard for a short while, but softened after a time. It was hard to be too harsh on Zira; as far as the queen could see, she exuded a pitiful aura of ineptness. Sarabi was just glad she wasn't in a position of power. "Alright," the queen sighed. "But next time, just join the hunt, and don't over-think matters like that." Zira nodded quickly, and turned it leave.

"Just a moment," called Mufasa cordially. "May I ask why exactly you missed the beginning of the hunt?"

Zira went to answer, but before she could speak another voice cut across her.

"She was with me. Sarabi, please accept my sincerest apologies for depriving you of one of your finest hunters."

Scar approached the assembly, and bizarrely, he seemed genuinely happy. He swaggered up, sat next to Zira, and smiled at his brother.

"What has you so cheerful?" asked Mufasa, a mix of surprise, mirth, and even a hint of worry in his voice.

"As it happens, I've made a new friend," replied Scar, giving a meaningful glance to Zira, who blushed.

Mufasa, already in a very good mood, was pleased even further by this statement. "Well, that's fantastic. For the both of you." Scar's smirk widened, and Zira's blush deepened.

"I had better find out where our three visitors have gotten to," continued the king, "so I shall leave you two to... socialize." With that, Mufasa turned and began to pad away, Sarabi following him. Behind them, Scar and Zira began to talk animatedly.

"How nice the two of them found each other," remarked Mufasa, glancing back at his brother. "It'll be good for Scar to talk to someone non-sarcastically for once."

"He and Zira suit each other. Still, I have to say I'm a little surprised. I was beginning to wonder about that brother of yours," responded Sarabi.

Mufasa didn't quite grasp what she was implying, but before he could ask he caught sight of three silhouettes moving towards Pride Rock. He approached them in order to welcome them to the feast.

One of the silhouettes twitched slightly, and remarked to another: "Uh, Shenzi, I think that's the king who's walking up to us." It then twitched a lot more when the second silhouette smacked it in the face.

* * *

><p>A spider scuttled excitedly around the stone floor, staring around the room with wide, purple eyes. Rafiki's eyes followed its careening path, boredom struggling with fear in his brain. On the other side of the cave, the elderly hyena slept deeply, barely stirring.<p>

After satisfying itself that it was, indeed, a spider, the arachnid came to a sudden stop, its legs completely stiff. It focussed on the hyena for a few long seconds, and then it lost its balance, falling over. At the same time, the hyena opened its eyes and Wazimu grinned at Rafiki.

"Haha, excellent!" it wheezed, pulling Ed's body into something resembling a sitting position. "I knew we'd get it eventually. Many thanks, shaman."

"Believe me, I'm overjoyed that I could be of service," replied Rafiki tersely. Wazimu laughed off his sarcasm.

"Whatever, you withered sack of bones!" it responded cheerfully. "What's done is done. Now all I have to do is find a better body." It shot the baboon a skeptical look. "Consider yourself lucky. I want something _younger_ than this, not even older." It kicked itself in the leg to emphasise its point, as well as to show it suddenly cared a lot less about maintaining the hyena's body.

"And where exactly are you going to find that?" asked Rafiki, before realizing that encouraging the monster might be a bad idea.

Wazimu thought for a second. It watched the spider clamber to its feet and woozily flee the scene. Then, Ed's features twisted into a wicked grin. "Say, here's an idea! Three people in one head was fun, but now I have an opportunity to take things even further!"

The baboon raised a worried eyebrow. "You don't mean...?"

"Precisely! Get up, shaman. I want you to be on hand when myself and Scar get... reacquainted."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, if indeed such a word is applicable in this peculiar case, a lion was returning to his home.<p>

When he had woken up yesterday morning, he had been enjoying the same happy life he had been granted just a few short weeks ago. But somehow since then there had been a terrible, inexplicable tragedy. Some of the people he held dearest had disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace. He had searched the furthest reaches of the kingdom in a desperate attempt to find them, and didn't find so much as a paw-print for his efforts.

The lion let out a shuddering sigh. He probably would have continued searching throughout the night, but he was exhausted. He had also agreed to meet his mate back in their home if neither of them had had any progress by sunset. While he hoped she had found something, deep down he knew that if she did, he would have been told by now.

Breathing heavily, he approached the cave in which he slept. A nervous group of animals hung around it, whispering in clusters. He nodded to the ones who caught his eye, but didn't break his stride, making it clear he didn't intend to stay and chat. Some of those assembled gave him sympathetic looks – others glanced at him, and their whispering became more vicious.

The lion didn't blame them. The whole situation was suspicious – hell, _he _was suspicious. The king was among the group who had disappeared, and that meant he was likely to get the crown. And as far as some of the animals were concerned, he still wasn't worthy of their trust.

He entered the cave and collapsed next to his mate, who was facing the wall.

"No luck?" she said. She tried to keep her voice level, but the lion noticed that it was shaking. It was hard to expect her to take the sudden loss of her parents well, but he could tell she was doing her best. He shook his head, and nuzzled her gently.

"Not yet. But don't worry, Kiara. We'll find them," Kovu answered.


	11. Now's your chance to tell them

"I'm telling you, it's a good idea," said Simba firmly. The three were walking towards Pride Rock, making sure no-one was in earshot. "I'm doing it, with or without your support."

"Easy for you to say!" snapped Vitani. "_You're_ frolicking around just fine! There's no chance of erasing _you _from history!"

"Look, we're here, we've changed things," Simba replied calmly. "For one thing, my dad's alive. And I'm going to keep it that way."

Vitani had another angry retort ready for use, but Nala began to speak in a gentle tone of voice. Vitani let her continue; Simba's wife was more likely to be able to talk some sense into him.

"Simba, listen to yourself. We were all saddened by Mufasa's death, but you sound like you want to keep him alive forever. That's impossible."

"_Yesterday, time travel was impossible,_" thought Vitani, but kept it to herself. The last thing she needed to do was to help Simba win this argument.

"I know that," he grumbled. "But, we have a chance to improve things. I owe it to myse-... uh, Sim-... Mufasa. Yes, Mufasa. I can arrange for him to live peacefully with his family, and the easiest way to do that is to get rid of Scar."

"Yeah, that's just great," responded Vitani bitingly. "Look, I know I'm kind of stressing this point a bit, but you could _prevent me from ever being alive! _Does that not concern you at all?"

"I think you'll still exist," said Nala soothingly. "I mean, look at it this way. All of this never happened. If it did, me and Simba would remember it. Right?"

Vitani nodded. "Where are you going with this?"

"This is confusing stuff, but... if we can't remember meeting ourselves, maybe those cubs could be thought of as different people. Sort of."

"I think I understand," said Vitani, narrowing her eyes in concentration. "So basically, even if we change things in the past, the three of us will still be... us." Vitani looked momentarily relieved, but then her features hardened again. "That's good to know, but it's the principle of the thing. You're messing with my parents, and with _a _Vitani."

"Enough!" roared Simba. "I am the king! What I say goes, and _I _say we're getting rid of Scar!"

"You're not the king!" sneered Vitani. Her last nerve had been worn away some time ago, and she didn't even try to restrain her contempt for her intellectually inferior cousin. "Your daddy, your amazing, fantastic daddy, is the king. _You _are some weird stranger who wandered into _his _lands, same as me. Here, we're the exact same."

The two lions had stopped walking by now and were growling at each other. Nala desperately sought for something to say which would calm both of them down. It wouldn't take much for them to come to blows.

"I knew this day would eventually come," said Simba darkly. "I knew you and your kind weren't worthy of my trust."

"Enjoy being right about something," countered Vitani. "I'm sure this is a very special occasion for you."

Simba opened his mouth to roar, and an impressive, majestic yell of rage cut through the still twilight air. He blinked in surprise. There was no way he had made that noise.

Nala tore her eyes away from her two charges, and glanced over a nearby hill. She could barely make out a large orange dot chasing three quivering grey dots. The ensemble was heading towards her.

"Guys, look at this," called Nala, moving in the direction of the dots. Simba and Vitani followed, their argument delayed but not forgotten.

The dots were moving quickly. It wasn't long before the lions could recognize who they were. The orange one was Mufasa, and Shenzi, Banzai and Ed were the dots fleeing from him. The king was as regal as ever, although certainly a lot angrier than usual. The hyenas were just about staying out of his reach, although their visible terror indicated they were having difficulty keeping things that way. They also were keeping their eyes on Mufasa as they ran from him, and as such they had no idea they were fast approaching three other lions.

Simba and Nala shared a look, and then sprung into action. When they were in range, the male threw himself against Banzai and Ed, causing them to trip. The three ended up in a pile on the ground, and Simba, recovering faster than his opponents, shoved a heavy paw on both of their throats. Nala's attack was more graceful; she pounced, unbalancing Shenzi with a blow to the face, and then pinned her to the ground. Before Vitani realized what had transpired, the temporally displaced royal couple had defeated the trespassers.

"_I sometimes forget what those two can do... especially when working together," _thought Vitani.

Mufasa came to a stop next to them. He was wheezing for breath, clearly unused to running. He nodded his thanks to Nala and Simba, unable to form words. There was a frightened pause as the hyenas waited for their captors to start yelling at them.

While Mufasa was catching his breath, Sarabi arrived with reinforcements; Sarafina, Zira, and Scar. The prince's heart caught in his throat when his eye's met with Shenzi's, and a wicked grin appeared on the hyena's face. They stared daggers at each other as Mufasa finally regained his composure, as well as his ability to speak.

"What are you _doing_," he growled slowly, putting a acidic emphasis on each and every syllable, "so close to my _home_?"

"Well, funny you should ask," replied Shenzi. She was impressively calm, taking into account the angry lioness at her throat. "As it happens, we're in possession of some important information, and as concerned subjects we felt that we should report to you directly."

By now, Banzai and Ed were also smiling at Scar (although Ed's grin seemed far more innocent than Banzai's). Despite himself, the lion found himself sweating. Thankfully, however, this went unnoticed by the others.

"I'm finding it very difficult to trust you," spat the king. "I have no reason to believe anything from the mouths of people who have previously tried to eat my son. It's a general rule I have."

"Oh, but we think you'll find this important. In fact, now that you mention it, it's to do with your family. Specifically, your little brother, and our good buddy, Scar."

Taka gulped deeply, and Scar immediately started to formulate verbal escape routes – or in simpler terms, excuses - for this situation.

"Y'see," continued Shenzi, cheerfully and relentlessly, "last night, Scar came over to the Elephant Graveyard and told us this great idea he had about causing a stampede."

Mufasa's eyebrow gradually ascended, and he turned slowly to look at his brother. "Oh?" was all he said. He sounded strangely calm. Taka shamefully avoided his gaze; Scar disdainfully examined the ground.

"But that's not all!" yelled Banzai, his voice a little strained from the pressure Simba was applying. "Wait til you find out _why _he wanted a stampede, it's _dead_ interesting!" With that, all three hyenas broke into a collective giggling fit.

Mufasa looked thoughtful. His expression made it seem like he was eating something sour, and contemplating spitting it out. He, Sarabi and Sarafina were shooting Scar odd looks, unsure whether or not to believe the intruders. Scar and the three time travellers knew the truth. The trio stood awkwardly, Simba unsure whether he should support the hyena's claims, and Vitani preparing to kick him hard if he tried. Scar readied himself for whatever was going to happen. Internally, Taka quivered with fear.

"Wait!" said a voice. All eyes turned to its owner: Zira. When Banzai recognized her, the bravado drained out of his face, and he unconsciously reached for his nearest injury. Shenzi's expression, on the other hand, became more defiant.

"When did you say this meeting took place?" the lioness growled.

"Like I said, yesterday," answered Shenzi disinterestedly. "Musta been about an hour after sunset."

Zira turned to Mufasa, slightly before Shenzi had even finished speaking. "My liege, these mongrels are lying! I saw Scar enter his cave around that time, and he didn't come out until the next morning. They're trying to blame him for something he has no connection to!"

Mufasa drew himself up to his full height. "Is that so? Well, I shall take your word for it. After all, it seems to me you're the expert, Zira, of Scar and his movements."

"Hey, wait a second!" objected Shenzi. "We're telling the truth ov-"

"**Silence!**" roared the king. Even the lions flinched. "It is the word of one of my subjects against the word of dangerous criminals. I need no further convincing," he declared. His voice became quieter, yet more fierce. "You three have been a thorn in my side for too long. Your assault of my son was deplorable, and now you try to cast doubt on my brother? If this was not a day of celebration, I would kill you at this second, squirming in the ground like the insects you are."

Mufasa took a deep breath, leaving the hyenas to stare up at him fearfully. "However," he continued, "this _is _a day of celebration, and as such, mercy shall be rendered. I will allow you to run, far away, and I advise that you never return. If you so much as look at the Pridelands again, I will tear you limb from mangy limb. Do we have an understanding?"

The three hyenas nodded furiously, and after Nala and Simba begrudgingly let them stand, they fled. Shenzi turned and shot one final dirty look at Scar before disappearing from view.

Mufasa brushed some dirt from his leg, as though nothing had happened. "_Hot damn_," thought Vitani. "_All I ever heard about this guy was that he was sunshine and daisies in living form. But if words could kill, those hyenas would be a puddle right now._" Her lips curled into a smile. "..._I like him._"

The king, rage forgotten, beamed at his guests. "My my, that's twice in one day you've given me vital aid. You've more than earned a welcome place at my table. Speaking of," he said, his ears perking, "we'd better get going. A true king knows the importance of dinner."

He floated away in the direction of Pride Rock, pulling the others in his wake. Zira and her new friend fell to the back of the group.

Taka coughed. "My brother's not the only one who's been saved twice today by the same person," he said shyly.

Zira smiled at him. "Any time, my prince. I thought that Mufasa looked like he wanted a reason not to believe them." She shrugged. "So I gave him one."

Scar frowned slightly. "I am most grateful, but I must ask; why? They could have been telling the truth, for all you know. Had you actually seen me at my cave, that would be a different matter, but you've protected me with a lie. What are your motives?"

Zira looked at him squarely in the eye. The gentle twilight breeze ran through Taka's mane. "Scar," breathed Zira, "I think my... motives have been made clear by now."

They stood like that for some time, staring into each other's eyes. Time seemed to stand still.

Eventually, Scar broke the silence. "Yes, well," he remarked, clearing his throat. "We'd better get moving. They'll be wondering where we are."

"Oh... of course."

They continued in silence for a few moments.

"Zira," Scar announced suddenly.

"Yes?" she responded, a tinge of hope in her voice.

"I would like you to know that today you have accomplished something that no other person has ever managed to do in the past."

"Wh-what is that, my liege?"

Scar smirked. "Impress me."


	12. The peace the evening brings

"And then what?" asked Rafiki, wobbling slightly as he walked. In his old age he had grown used to having his stick with him, and to have it taken from him had upset his balance to some degree.

Wazimu didn't answer him, his purple eyes staring into space. With only the slightest trepidation, Rafiki leaned over and prodded it in the shoulder, eliciting a semi-coherent response. "Hmm, whuh?" burbled the creature.

"I said," repeated the baboon slowly, "and then what? You get a shiny new body, and then what will you do?"

The hyena's face twisted awkwardly for a few moments. "Good question. Hadn't really considered that; I'm more of a 'here-and-now' type of person."

"_'Person' might be pushing it,_" thought Rafiki to himself.

There was a pause. Then Wazimu said "Say, you know that time period you left?"

Rafiki nodded.

Wazimu grinned. "Yeah, that still exists. It hasn't been changed or destroyed – it's still there, but more, let's say... to the side of us, rather than in front of us. Follow?"

Again, Rafiki nodded, this time a bit more wearily.

"So, to get to the point," Wazimu continued breezily, "I see an opportunity for some mischief. And I am nothing if not willing to wreak havoc whenever possible."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, and this time the word has its normal spacial connotations rather than confusing temporal ones, Rafiki was entertaining a young Simba and Nala with an embarrassing story from Mufasa's childhood.<p>

"So now your father has both front paws stuck to his face, as _well _as a hive of angry bees attacking him," said Rafiki, as the two cubs rolled on the ground in laughter. "So he yells to Taka – Scar, that is – to push him into the river, and Scar gladly obliges. But you would not believe what happened after Mufasa fell into the water."

"Oh, quit stalling, Rafiki," giggled Nala breathlessly. "Tell us already!"

"I'd rather if you didn't," said a voice approaching from the plains. Simba looked up to see his father arriving, with a large group of other lions in tow.

Rafiki feigned guilty surprise. "Oh, of course not! I'd never tell your own son about something so humiliating!" Then, in a loud stage whisper to the cubs, he added "When he's around!" With that, he winked, grabbed his stick, and took his place at the makeshift table.

The dinner itself was not particularly social. Mufasa began the proceedings with a short speech, detailing how "Kopa", "Kiara", and Vitani had shown great bravery and heroism in helping him, both in apprehending the hyenas, but more importantly in saving his son from grave danger. The trio took the appreciative looks of the rest of the pride as graciously as they could.

"I would also like to draw your attention to my brother, Scar," continued the king with a wan smile, "who you may notice has been actually socializing with someone for once in his life. Truly, this is a miraculous day!" The pride shared a laugh at his remark. Scar shot him a glare, but then treated him to a smirk. Zira pinned her ears to her head in embarrassment, but was also smiling.

After that, everyone was too busy eating after a long day to speak at any length. Everyone there was left to their thoughts.

Mufasa's thoughts, despite the convivial atmosphere, eventually turned towards the more bitter events of the day. The stampede was his primary concern. It was very odd that the herd would even move at this time, let alone in such a frenzied way. Obviously, something had caused it, and despite his brother's assurances that it was probably just a random occurrence, the king wanted to find out what.

Speaking of his brother... Were those hyenas actually speaking the truth? Of course, Mufasa didn't want to believe them, and if Zira had an alibi for Scar, he'd put more trust in her then those filthy outsiders. But certain things fit uncomfortably well. Scar had associated with the hyenas as a younger lion. Mufasa assumed he had broken off contact a long time ago, but there was no evidence for this. So there was a chance that Scar was connected with the stampede – but if that was true, then the question which presented itself was 'Why?'.

As the king munched contemplatively on a chunk of hippo, his wife was also thinking about Scar, but in a much different context. If she had to be honest, Sarabi had never liked Scar. When she first started courting his brother, she just accepted him as an inconvenient truth; an unfortunate but bearable side-effect of being part of Mufasa's life. She found his sarcasm and negative attitude grating, and generally considered him a liability to the pride at large. But his recent friendliness towards Zira gave Sarabi hope that their relationship would develop further. If Scar and Zira could raise a family of their own, then Sarabi could convince Mufasa to go get them to start a new, separate pride – which meant getting Scar out of her fur, permanently.

The hypothetical king-to-be was engaged in similar thoughts. Scar put no stock in Taka's opinion of Zira – or anything, for that matter – but he had to admit that given her crafty and sudden defence of him, she perhaps wasn't as stupid as she looked. In fact, as he considered her sycophantic nature towards him, maybe she could even be convinced to help him in his quest to usurp Mufasa. In essence, she was a hyena, only marginally more intelligent.

Taka was offended by such a blithe description of his only friend. Surely she was more than that? Scar was quick to rebuke him, and in the process he reminded him that Zira was interested in Scar. In fact, Scar would wager that Zira didn't even know that Taka existed. Taka went silent at that, begrudgingly accepting the sad truth in that statement. There was faint, almost inaudible chuckling within the the prince's head.

Returning his thoughts to more important matters, Scar decided it was better to wash his paws completely of the stampede. Clearly, it was entirely the hyenas' doing, and had been from the start. He considered his two options – wait until the three visitors had moved on, so as to the reduce the risk of anyone witnessing his eventual crime, or to act quickly and pin the murder on them. He chewed his food, torn.

Vitani watched him, still in awe. The lion who had brought her into existence, and who posthumously shaped her life since her birth, was just a few feet away, munching disinterestedly on a scrap of meat. What was more, her mother was next to him – young, happy, and with two complete ears. It was bizarre beyond words. But what was more bizarre was how Simba thought he could interfere in it. Thinking about his thick-headed stubbornness on the subject still made her blood boil. How dare he put her in danger, and tear her family apart before it even came together in the first place! He was just jealous that her father killed his.

Zira was in a happy reverie, thinking about how the lion she had watched from afar for so long had not only noticed her, but actually seemed to like her as well, when she raised her eyes and saw one of the visiting lionesses looking at Scar with large, reverential eyes. Suddenly, every paranoid thought in Zira's head fired up at once. Scar goes unnoticed by the females of the pride for his whole life, and just when Zira finally gets through to him, someone else starts getting ideas? Zira did her best not to choke on the gazelle in her mouth. Alright, alright, maybe she was over-reacting – but the lioness definitely was looking straight at Scar. Zira narrowed her eyes. Honoured guest or not, if she caught that "Vitani" trying to speak to Scar alone, Zira would run her out of the kingdom personally.

Simba was also thinking inflammatory thoughts about his cousin. Although he would never admit it, her words had gotten through to him. He _was_ just some weird stranger in another lion's lands. How could he exile a prince with no evidence? He internally cursed Zira for her idea of lying to counter the hyena's story. If only he had had the same idea, and used it before her – he could have told Mufasa that he witnessed Scar meeting the hyenas. Everything could have ended there. But it was too late for that now: he had to think of a new plan, and put it into practice, no matter what Nala or Vitani said.

Nala watched her husband with concern, noting his agitation. She knew what he was planning. In a way, she agreed with him; this was a chance to improve things. Any thought of leaving things the way they were could be discarded – they had already changed how things had happened. But should they try to bring the situation to a place they preferred? Had they the right to rewrite history? And what would be the consequences? Nala sighed into her food, and her eyes wandered to Sarafina and her cub. The whole scenario was too confusing for words.

As Rafiki peeled a passion fruit, his eyes wandered over the three visitors. He still wasn't completely certain whether or not he believed them. On one hand, their story was outlandish – but if they were lying, why would they give such a ridiculous background of themselves? It was an odd position to be in.

What really interested Rafiki was the story that Simba had told him, of Scar using the stampede to kill Mufasa. It was unlikely, and yet, Rafiki could picture it easily. Rafiki knew from the moment he met Scar – even when he called himself Taka – that there was something off about him. Could that manifest itself in a bloody bid for power? Rafiki supposed it could have.

But as he considered that aura of malevolence around Scar, Rafiki looked at the lion and sensed that it had died down somewhat. He blinked, taken aback. Thinking about it, whenever Scar looked at Zira, Rafiki could just about make out a softness in his expression. But strangely, it wasn't exactly Scar looking nice – it was more like a nicer looking Scar. Rafiki finished peeling the fruit and took a large bite of it. Fascinating. Maybe he should do his part to bring Scar and Zira closer together.

Zazu, a short distance away from the main group, ate some seeds and looked suspiciously at the new arrivals. The news that they had helped in a fight against some trespassing hyenas did little to sway his xenophobia. He was still a little shaken by the fact they had known his name, although to the best of his knowledge he had never shared it. Could they really have been spies? Scar's words still rang in his ears; "_Think of the damage they could do to the pride if given the chance!_" Zazu drew himself to his full height, not that anybody noticed. He promised himself that he wouldn't give the visitors that chance – that he'd watch them at all times, and do everything in his power to hasten their departure. He owed it to his overly trusting monarch.

The younger Nala took as many glances as she could at the three visitors; her mother had recently told her it was impolite to stare. In particular, her eyes were drawn to the older of the two lionesses, the one called who called herself Kiara. Kiara was a nice name, in her opinion. She was very grateful towards the trio for saving Simba. Of course, if it was her in the gorge, she would've gotten out fine without any help, but Simba was a little slow sometimes. It was for the best they'd been there to get him out of trouble. She looked across at the young prince, and wondered what was going through his head.

As usual, it wasn't much. Simba's thoughts were mostly revolving around the antelope he was eating, and the deliciousness of such. However, while it took a lot to faze the cub for any length of time, he was finding it hard to ignore the stampede. For a few moments, before the older lions had gotten him to safety, he was certain he was never going to see his father again. Actually, now that he thought about it, where had those guys come from? Simba had been roaring at a lizard, he heard a thud, and when he turned around they were there. The gorge was pretty open - had they just moved really quickly? And on the topic of unanswered questions, what happened to the surprise Uncle Scar said was waiting for him? There were lots of weird things about that day, on consideration.

Sarafina ate some wildebeest, blissfully unaware of the complex drama unfolding around her on all sides.


	13. The night's uncertainties

"That's it, I've had it up to here with these damn lions," declared Shenzi as the three hyenas walked sullenly away from Pride Rock. "Let's get out of here, for good."

"What, really?" replied Banzai incredulously. Packing up and leaving the Pridelands was something the hyenas often discussed, but never actually acted upon.

"Yeah, I think so," sighed Shenzi. "You heard the king. You wanna get torn to little pieces?"

Banzai and Ed shook their heads in unison.

"Then we're leaving," spat their leader. "Besides, I don't think we can count out getting any more handouts from Prince Sunshine."

"Where'll we go?" asked Banzai. Ed's eyes glazed over as he left the somewhat smarter people to their decision making.

"Isn't there a big termite hill just outside the Pridelands? I guess we could go there."

"Yeah, we could. But wouldn't it be full of termites?"

"Of course, you idiot! It's not a candy hill!"

Ed's ears twitched at Shenzi's raised voice. He garbled to himself under his breath. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, and stuck his nose in the air, visibly terrified.

"Oh, _great_," shouted Shenzi. "Back to this again!"

Ed moved his head quickly from side, trying to locate a scent. When he did, he crumpled to the ground wailing.

"Wow, he's really freaking out," remarked Banzai. He prodded his shuddering companion and chuckled at his misfortune.

"You may find this funny, but I'm not in the mood for this," growled Shenzi. She grabbed Ed by the throat and brought his quivering face inches from hers. "Listen moron, either you get yourself together right now, or we're leaving you here as lion chow. Got it?"

Ed's response was to roll his eyes manically and and gesture frantically behind her.

"Uh, Shenzi," called Banzai, his voice shaking slightly. "Y-you may wanna look at this."

Shenzi sighed and turned around. When she did, her heart caught in her throat.

Mufasa's elderly baboon advisor was there, looking at her worriedly. But she barely noticed him. Standing just in front of him was a hyena with soulless purple eyes.

Although age had altered his appearance, it was quite obviously Ed.

The hyena grinned and sighed to itself. "Haha, seeing the three of you together – such nostalgia!"

* * *

><p>Dinner had finished, and the air had cooled pleasantly in the absence of the glaring sun. The lions sat around in groups, unwinding. Rafiki was finishing his tale of Mufasa and the bees for the cubs – the older Simba was stealthily listening in as well, revelling in a small piece of a childhood that had been denied to him. Mufasa was proudly telling his two other visitors about some of his past heroic exploits; Nala feigned polite interest, having heard the stories hundreds of times before as a child, but Vitani sat in awe, increasingly impressed with her uncle. Scar and Zira were speaking quietly some distance away from the group, and despite their respective concerns, they found themselves relaxing in each other's company.<p>

Zazu observed all of this from above with a haughty eye. He couldn't understand how everyone could be so unconcerned about these suspicious travellers. In fact, Scar, the only other person with the proper mindset, seemed to have forgotten about it as well. Zazu sighed. As usual, he had been saddled with the burden of being the only one with the right idea. It was maddening, sometimes.

Rafiki finished his story with an exclamation of "And we never saw that family of ant-eaters again!" The cubs burst into a fit of laughter, and Simba bit down on his paw to stifle his chuckling. Mufasa caught sight of them, rolled his eyes while smiling, and continued his own story about the rogue elephant he once fought.

Sarabi approached her son, and picked him up by the scruff of the neck. "It's about time you went to sleep," she admonished through her gritted teeth. The young prince had several protestations, and was given plenty of time to voice them as he was brought to the den. Knowing he had already lost, he gave a saddened nod of farewell to the three visitors to whom he owed his life. "See you in the morning, kid!" called his older self in an attempt to cheer him up.

Sarafina followed her queen's lead and also brought her daughter inside. Rafiki bade a fond farewell to Mufasa, promised the three visitors that they were free to come speak to him any time the next day, and gave Scar and Zira a polite, knowing nod as he passed them. This left the king regaling Simba, Nala and Vitani of his great battle, Scar and Zira engaging in a quiet conversation, and Zazu sourly surveying them all.

"And once it had lost enough blood, it fell to the ground with a mighty crash," Mufasa exposited, slamming his paw into the ground to emphasise his point. "The other elephants thanked me for dealing with her, and us lions, well... we didn't go hungry for some time," he concluded with a smile.

"Wow, to take down an elephant like that... it must have taken a lot of bravery," said Vitani, eyes shining.

Mufasa gave a pleased chuckle."What can I say? That bravery is present in every member of my family – even Scar, in his own way. I can only hope that when Simba comes of age he can continue the trend."

"Yes, well, I think he will," coughed the younger male awkwardly. "And speaking of Simba... this will sound ridiculous, but you have to hear me out on this."

Scar, having heard Mufasa speak his name, was now paying attention to Simba, and Zira had followed his gaze. Nala and Vitani gave Simba pointed looks, unsure what exactly he was going to say, but almost certain it was going to be a bad decision. Mufasa gave the visitor a slightly bemused look, waiting for him to continue.

"I don't know where to start," said Simba, "but this part is urgent, and probably the least insane. What Shenzi said – uh, the female hyena," he clarified when he saw that Mufasa, who had never learned the hyena's names, looked slightly lost, "what she said was true. Scar did meet them yesterday."

"WHAT!" Simba turned his head to see that Scar and Zira were approaching him. Scar looked coldly disdainful, and Zira, who had shouted, looked livid.

"Yes, _boy_," spat Scar, "I think my friend here summed up our thoughts quite succinctly. **What **are you blathering about?"

"Yeah, _Kopa_," hissed Vitani, "What _are _you blathering about?"

Simba panicked slightly when he realized that Scar, Zira, Vitani and Zazu were all glaring at him furiously. Nala covered her eyes, knowing that the situation was only going to get a lot worse. Mufasa blinked, taken aback.

"Easy, easy," he growled. Everyone backed down, but only slightly. The king turned to Simba. "Have you any evidence to contradict what Zira said before?"

"No..." answered Simba shakily. He realized he had no idea of how he was going to prove anything. He gritted his teeth. Too late now; he had to keep going. His credibility was probably going to destroyed anyway, so he may as well go out guns blazing. "But it's true. He's working with the hyenas, and the stampede was his idea!"

"**SILENCE!**" bellowed Scar. Mufasa was surprised for the second time in ten seconds – he had never heard his brother sound so angry. Scar snarled at his brother, "Mufasa! This outsider is slandering my name by agreeing with some nonsense put forward by hyenas! _Hyenas! _How can you just stand there?"

"I saw Scar at his cave at that time," huffed Zira. "It's my word against yours."

"Oh yeah?" In an instant, Simba's panic had converted to anger. "Prove it! What time was it?"

Zira blinked. "An, um, hour or so after sunset. Yes, that's the time the hyena said. Isn't it, Scar?"

Simba cut in before his uncle. "You don't seem too sure. What was he doing?"

"Entering his cave, of course," answered Zira. She met Simba's gaze unflinchingly, but her ear was twitching very slightly.

"What, you saw him enter the cave? Did you stand outside it all night? If you didn't, he could have left at any time!" Simba practically screamed at her.

Zira was definitely panicking now – it was clear from the look in her eyes. Scar's face was contorted with rage, and his daughter was also fixing Simba with a look which made her intention to clobber him painfully on the back of the head very clear. Nala was biting her lip, breathing deeply, and Zazu looked absolutely disgusted. Mufasa prepared to roar, hoping it would, if not calm the group down, at least buy the king a few seconds of silence.

Ironically, the situation was instead diffused by a polite cough.

Everyone started and turned around. Sarabi had approached the group silently, and was now viewing them with the sternly disappointed expression only a mother can perfect.

"The cubs have just fallen asleep," she said evenly. "I'm sure whatever it is your talking about is very important, but I'd appreciate it if you could discuss it a bit more quietly."

The assorted lions (plus bird) changed instantly from fury to shyness. Simba shuffled his paws and coughed. "I'm very sorry... Queen Sarabi."

Sarabi raised an eyebrow and sat by her husband. An awkward silence continued for a few moments before Mufasa cleared his throat.

"Well, it seems you've all regained some composure," the king said. Vitani couldn't help but notice that there was a distinctly sour tone creeping into his voice. "Although it pains me to end the evening on such poor terms, but now seems like a good time to adjourn for the night. I trust you three have somewhere to sleep?"

Nala suppressed the urge to frown. She was certain that Mufasa had invited them to stay at Pride Rock – but she was even more certain of why they were no longer so welcome. Making an internal note to have a long talk with Simba about his attempt to tell Mufasa the unbelievable truth, she bowed her head and said "Yes, your Majesty, we have lodgings."

"Very good. Goodnight, then."

"Yes, do sleep _peacefully_," snarled Scar. Zira bared her teeth at the trio as the pride walked away.

Simba knew he only had the chance to say one thing, and that whatever he chose to yell at Mufasa's back had to get the king's attention. Since he'd already established himself as a liar and hyena-supporter, his words had to be concise and dramatic. "I'm your son!" was the obvious choice, but Simba really didn't want to say that, especially at that moment. "Scar tried to kill you!" might also have worked, but he knew that by now his uncle would have an hour long counter-argument prepared. So instead, he yelled "Hey look, a hyena!"

That got the attention of Mufasa, as well as everyone else assembled. In fact, it was especially effective because, as it happens, at that moment Shenzi was running towards Pride Rock.

One brief tussle later, Mufasa was pinning her to the ground with one paw, shaking his head slowly.

"Will you ever cease to amaze me?" he said slowly, with a terrifying calmness. "I promised you, barely an hour ago, that the next time I saw you I would kill you as painfully as physically possible. This apparently inspired you to arrive at my home, alone. I'm honestly curious – do you completely hate yourself?"

"As it happens, I was running from trouble, not looking for it," choked Shenzi from the floor. "I only ran into you because the whole damn country is your 'home'!"

Mufasa started growling, but Shenzi's next few words made him smile; "If you know what's good for you, you'll follow my lead and start running."

"Oh please," wheedled Scar patronizingly. "Don't tell me that your the harbinger of a mighty hyena army, come to crush us in battle?"

"If only," grumbled Shenzi. "You're going to wish it was something that easy. No, it's worse, much, much worse. There's a _demon_ out there. A monster, with these freaky purple eyes! It's as strong as an elephant, and fast as a cheetah – the others are probably dead by now."

"Listen to her babble. Adorable, really," smirked Scar. He turned to his brother. "So, where's that "tearing limb from mangy limb" you promised? We could all use some light entertainment right now."

"Wait! She's telling the truth!" yelled Simba.

He didn't even realize what he was saying until it had come out. The other lions fixed him with displeased grimaces.

"You're wearing the joke thin, boy," snapped Zazu. "You could have at least waited until tomorrow to start this nonsense again."

Before Simba could yell a retort, Vitani stepped in. "No, he's right. I can't speak for what he was saying before – best explanation I have is that he went _temporarily insane –_ but that thing does exist. We've fought it before."

"_Well, technically, Nala fought it, and I fell on to Simba from a tree, but that's probably not worth mentioning,_" Vitani thought.

Nala nodded. "This thing, whatever it is, is very dangerous. You have to handle it with care."

Scar scoffed. "I don't see why we have to handle it at all. If it's as strong as she claims, then surely the best plan of action is to wait things out in the den?" The others gave him doubtful looks, and he shrugged. "Call me a coward, but I plan on seeing the sun rise tomorrow morning."

Shenzi snorted. "Firstly, if you're so proud of owning this damn place, you're the ones who have to look after it. And secondly, you know who was with that thing? That old lump you call an advisor."

Mufasa shook his head. "Impossible. We saw Rafiki leave a few minutes ago, and he went in the opposite direction from you. It can't be him."

Vitani's eyes lit up. "Hey, wait! That means that..." She trailed off, trying to find words which wouldn't reveal the exact nature of the demon's companion. "That baboon is... a friend of ours. He looks a lot like Rafiki, actually. The demon kidnapped him the last time we met." Internally, she grinned. Everything she just said was true.

Mufasa ran his tongue along his teeth, considering things. He arrived at a conclusion. "Here's what's going to happen," he announced eventually. "I will look into these claims. If there is a invader in the Pridelands, it is my job to dispose of him – the hyena has that much right." He lifted his paw, and Shenzi shuffled out of his grasp. She went to run, but the king grabbed her by the tail and pulled her back.

"Zira," continued the king, "I want you to keep an eye on this pitiful excuse of an animal. The first sign that she's going to try to escape, or attack you, and you may use as much force as you feel necessary to _sedate _her. Understood?" The lioness nodded her head.

"Sarabi," said Mufasa after he pushed Shenzi towards Zira, "go inside and watch over the cubs. Let the other lionesses know what's happening. I don't think there's any truth to this talk of a demon, but no risks should be taken in regards to the young ones.

"Zazu, scout ahead and try to locate this creature and the baboon. Scar?"

The younger lion blinked lazily. "What, you're going to give me orders too?"

"No, I'm not. I'm requesting you come with me."

Scar was taken aback. "Wh... excuse me?"

"It's my job as king to protect these lands. But I'd be honoured if you'd help me if a fight breaks out."

"I'm not sure how much use I'd be, but... sure, why not?" Scar was equally confused and pleased.

"Excellent," rumbled Mufasa. "Now let's get moving. The sooner we disprove this nonsense, the sooner we can all sleep."

"Hey, wait, what about us?" asked Simba.

"Yeah, we're the ones who fought this thing before, and it's our friend who's in danger," added Vitani.

"The demon is incredibly strong. The more people attacking it, the better," said Nala.

Mufasa's gaze met Simba's, and he made no attempt to hide his distaste.

"You three... stay out of the way." With that, Mufasa, Scar and Zazu were gone, heading into a one-sided battle.


	14. A matter of pride

The two males ran through the Pridelands, the night air rippling through their manes. Mufasa's features were set, with determination winning out over tiredness on his face. Scar had a more uncertain countenance – he had never had to defend the Pridelands from an attack before, so he was out of his element.

He was also out of shape, as his burning muscles helpfully reminded him. With each stride, he awkwardly sucked in another lungful of air. He watched his brother sail effortlessly through the tall grass, and wondered how he made it look so easy.

"_Maybe it's because he goes outside more than once a year_," grumbled Taka passive-aggressively, "_whereas you use this body to lounge around at home and eat mice_."

Scar tried ignoring him, but the soft-spoken voice in his head continued regardless. "_I mean, sure, he was always stronger. But you didn't even __**try **__to exercise. Come to think of it, you barely tried to do anything. After a point, you have to realize that you brought a lot of that hardship on to yourself."_

"_Silence!"_

"_No! I'm tired of being ignored! If you're the only person who can hear me any more, you're damn well going to listen to me!"_

"_Oh, please! You couldn't even make a rock sit still, much less make me listen to you. You're a weakling, Taka, and you always have been. Everything is __**your**__ fault, not mine, and that's why __**I'm **__in charge. That's why you need me."_

"_I need you as much as I need a tapeworm. In fact, I'd prefer a tapeworm. It would be more polite."_

"_**That's it! I swear, I'm going t-**__"_

"Scar?"

The increasingly insane prince nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked around to see that Mufasa was some distance ahead of him.

"Scar, you just stopped suddenly. And judging from your reaction, you hadn't even noticed. Is there something on your mind?"

The younger lion sighed. He was too tired to come up with a lie, so he gave a truthful, if vague answer. "What isn't on my mind?" he mumbled.

Mufasa dipped his head sympathetically. "It's been the mother of all busy days. The stampede, nearly losing Simba, the visitors, the hyenas, and now this insanity..." He dragged a paw over his face. Scar could see his brother looked exhausted. "If I don't start walking again soon I think I'll fall asleep," concluded the king.

"Why are we investigating this, anyway?" questioned Scar. "Is it really so vital we look into it right now, when everyone is so tired?"

"Protocol." Mufasa spat the word as though it was an insect which had flown into his mouth. "Although as with most protocol, it does at least make sense. If there's some monster tearing through the kingdom, the faster we find it and deal with it the better. We can't let anyone get hurt."

By now, they had started moving again, although at a far slower pace. Scar nodded his head, but he disliked the explanation. So what if a few subjects were endangered? The royal family's needs should always come first.

The two walked in silence for a while, until Scar eventually cleared his throat.

"I hate to bring up such a terrible topic of conversation, but I feel it needs to be addressed. What that young male was saying..."

Mufasa shook his head. "Say no more. As far as I'm concerned, it's nonsense. I'd believe you over an outsider any day, even one that saved my son."

Internally, Scar beamed and Taka almost wept.

"What do you intend to do with him?"

Mufasa looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm unsure. I certainly trust him far less now. I'm basing my opinions on his two lionesses on what we find out here. If there's nothing here, well, they're all liars. If – unlikely as it is – they were right, my hospitality remains open to them both."

"But not the male?"

"No. Perhaps, if he admits he was lying – and gives a _very_ good reason for what would _inspire_ him to do so – then... we'll see."

"I liked what his younger companion – Vitani, I believe - put forward as a possible explanation. What was it – temporary insanity?" Scar smiled to himself. "She seems to me to be the best of the three."

Mufasa smirked. "My, my. A lifetime of ignoring girls, and now two catch your interest in one day? Such a change."

Scar paled. "Mufasa, I object to that! That lioness is substantially younger than me! I was referring to her intelligence!"

"I'm not hearing an 'objection' over Zira," sang Mufasa mockingly.

"Well, that's... the other was... you startled..." floundered Scar. "I mean, well – wait, look over there!"

Mufasa rolled his eyes. "Brother, if you honestly think I'm enough of an idiot to fall for that, then _you're_ the stupid one."

But Scar insisted, and Mufasa begrudgingly looked in the direction his brother was pointing. Squinting, he could make out two figures nearby – a baboon and a hyena.

"Looks like them, alright. Good eye, Scar. Now let's see what this is all about."

The king strode confidently up to the two intruders. He was in no mood for words, so he roared loudly to get their attention. The baboon jumped and whirled around, but the hyena defiantly kept its face turned away from the lion. Scar unhappily recognized it as Banzai.

When the baboon caught sight of Mufasa, his hand went to his mouth. "Oh dear..." he murmured. Mufasa was forced to admit he did look an awful lot like Rafiki, although he seemed quite a bit older.

"Is this one of the hyenas who claims to have been attacked by a 'monster'?" snapped Mufasa, motioning towards the grey figure.

The hyena began to chuckle – quietly at first, but gradually building until its harsh, loud laughter cut through the still night air. "Now there's one thing I didn't know I would miss!" it yelled through its mirth. "This big lump and the hilariously stupid things he comes out with!"

Mufasa growled, baring his teeth. He had far too much pride to be insulted by a lowly hyena – especially in regards to his intelligence. He was about to charge and strike the hyena sharply on the face when it slowly turned around and revealed two purple eyes. The king realized with horror that the so-called demon did exist – and was only a few feet away from him.

"What's wrong, Mufasa?" asked Wazimu with mock concern. "You seem a bit surprised. Although, compared to your brother..." The creature trailed off with yet another chuckle.

With difficulty, Mufasa turned his head to examine the younger lion. Scar was staring wide-eyed at the hyena, quivering lightly. "No," the prince whispered to himself. "No. That's completely impossible."

"Scar! What's wrong?" asked Mufasa, pushing his brother's well-being to the front of his mind.

The hyena let out a thundering guffaw. "Look at his face!" he spluttered. "I'm going to give myself a stitch if I laugh any harder! Heh... I'm probably enjoying this more than I should..."

"Mufasa," breathed Scar. "That thing..." He trailed off, then suddenly shook his head. "No. No, that's not... It can't..."

"Oh, spit it out," taunted Wazimu. "I know you recognize me, _best friend_. So go ahead, explain things to your brother."

Scar just stood there, swaying like a tree in the breeze. For a few moments, there was a terrible silence. Then, Wazimu gave an overly exaggerated yawn.

"Bored now. Fine – if none of you will do anything interesting, I guess I'll have to entertain myself. And," it grinned sadistically, "as it happens, I've just acquired some new toys."

Suddenly, Scar felt the wind strike him with the force of a charging rhinoceros. He felt his paws leave the ground, and he watched the sky and the ground trade places a few times. Then, he felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder, accompanied by a sharp crack. He assumed he had landed on the ground, but he was disorientated now.

He blearily opened his eyes, but could only see Pride Rock in the far distance. He had landed with his face turned away from the others. He tried to crane his neck, but discovered he hadn't the strength to do so. His efforts to stand were also fruitless.

Behind him, Wazimu was laughing raucously. "Wow, that was fantastic! Did you see that? He flew through the air like he was as light as a feather! I could get used to this. Now I just have to work out how I did that..."

Scar heard Mufasa growling, and suddenly Wazimu cried out in pain. "Damn, fuzzy, you hit hard!" shouted the creature. It then added in a quieter, darker tone, "A lot harder than this mangy hyena..."

Scar, straining to follow the battle by sound alone, was left stumped by what happened next. There was a strange crackling sound, and Mufasa grunted in confusion. Then, the older lion yelled out in pain, and then... another silence.

Scar waited for what seemed like an eternity from someone to say something, but all he could hear was his own quickened heartbeat. Eventually, he could make out someone breathing lightly. He couldn't tell if it was his brother or... his imaginary friend.

By the Circle, he had just thought those words, hadn't he? He had just admitted, in some small way, that the monster he had seen was the friend he had created as a child to keep himself company. But that was so absurd, it was beyond description. He had stopped talking to "Wazimu" years ago – two people in his head was quite enough. But he had instantly recognized the smooth yet crass voice which had reverberated through his skull for many long nights.

Any chance he had of denying all this was quashed when he heard someone pad over to him. A head he couldn't see bent down close to his, and Wazimu whispered into his ear. "Heeeeellllo, past self," he said cheerily. "I know you're rattling around in there somewhere, so I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you to keep up the good work. And who knows? Maybe someday, you'll grow up to be just like me. Wouldn't that be great? And then we could get another Wazimu! And it could get another, and _it_ could get another, and _it _could get _another._.. Wazimus everywhere!" It chuckled. "But for now, I'm limited to this time period and the boring peace time. Oh, speaking of, I have some rearranging to do. So, I guess I'll leave you to your usual job of keeping Scar nice and insane. Toodles, and enjoy the nap."

Scar was left utterly lost by essentially all of what the being had just said. However, the comment about the nap became painfully obvious when a powerful paw grabbed Scar's head and slammed it against the ground. Scar's vision swam and became blurry, and he slipped out of consciousness, the deep laughter of Wazimu still ringing in his ears.


	15. Disaster's in the air

It would have been so easy to just lie there in darkness, body immobile among the long grass. In the depths of concussion, Scar couldn't form any thoughts; and that was for the best. He didn't want to think about anything, least of all what he had just experienced. An imaginary person of his own creation had thrown him through the air without even touching him, and then proceeded to do something terrible to his brother. It was all too bizarre for words.

If Scar was capable of making demands, he would have firmly pushed an agenda of staying unconscious for at least a month. But he was in no such position, which is why he found himself stirred to wakefulness by a swift slap to the face.

"Wake up, you lanky excuse of a prince!" snapped a oddly familiar voice. Scar blearily opened his eyes, and was met with the uncomfortably close visage of a baboon. Specifically, it was the baboon which he and Mufasa had just completely failed to rescue. At such close range, Scar was quickly made aware of the unique aroma of the baboon's breath. It was an effective, if not altogether pleasant, method of rousing him.

The primate guided Scar to his feet, and then looked him squarely in the eyes. "Listen to me well," he said. "I'm about to run through the facts of what's going on, and I'm not slowing down or repeating myself no matter how disbelieving you are. Okay?"

"Um, fine," coughed Scar.

"Okay then," sighed the older creature. "First of all, yes, that thing you just saw was Wazimu, your supposedly imaginary friend."

"**WHAT?**" spluttered Scar.

"Furthermore, it is a version of Wazimu from far in the future."

"_What?_"

"In the years between now and the time it came from, Wazimu managed to utilize its position as a creature made from the Circle of Life to obtain strange powers."

"What?"

"Among these powers are time travel, which is why I'm here, and possessing the bodies of others, which is why Mufasa is not."

"What?"

"And now it's sped off in the direction of Pride Rock, to attack your family and generally spread chaos."

"What...?" By now, Scar's voice had lowered to more reasonable levels, although it was obvious he was thrown.

The baboon scratched his beard. "That's about it. Now, I noticed that Mufasa looked pretty alive when Wazimu stole his body, so I'm forced to assume you haven't tried to murder him yet."

"_**WHAT?**_" screamed Scar, his voice hitting new peaks of loudness. How did this baboon know about his meticulously well-hidden plans?

The primate didn't react at all to the lion's outburst, and kept speaking as though he hadn't been interrupted. "Although it pains me, I'm going to take a risk and hope that there's still at least a shred of morality in that black heart of yours. So wipe that stupid look off your face and let's get going."

Dutifully, Scar drew his face into a more dignified expression (although he told himself it was because that was how a prince should look while talking to a commoner, not because said commoner ordered him to do so). However, he made no attempt to start walking.

"Not yet. I still have questions."

The baboon rolled his eyes. "Very well. Sticking with you is, unfortunately, my best option. What is it that you want to know?"

"Three queries spring to mind," said Scar shortly. "Firstly, I think it's only common courtesy that you tell me what your name is."

The primate chuckled. "My my, Scar, don't you recognize me?"

Scar took a breath, looking at the baboon with narrowed eyes. "You look like Rafiki, but surely...?"

Rafiki bowed, laughing lightly. "It is indeed me. You're going to have to open your mind a lot more if you hope to keep up with this situation. Next question?"

"Right... you said something about "possessing bodies". You've left me confused on that point. Could you elucidate?"

Rafiki, deciding a visual representation would be more efficient than words, pointed to something behind Scar. The lion turned to see Banzai lying on the ground, apparently unconscious.

"Wazimu jumped from Ed into him," explained Rafiki, "and then from him into your brother."

"... I still don't follow. 'Jumped'?"

"That's what I said. I thought you were supposed to be smart?" snapped Rafiki. "It can control the bodies of others. I don't know how, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't either. But the main thing is that it has no physical form itself. It needs the bodies of others, in this case, Mufasa."

The severity of the situation finally caught up to Scar, and his face grew stark. "Then we'd better start moving," he stated, setting off for Pride Rock.

Rafiki smiled to himself as he walked alongside the prince. "What about your third question?"

"We can walk and talk. Now, what do you know of my attempt to kill Mufasa?"

Rafiki's smile died on his lips. "Like I said, for me, all of this is history. And a bad period in history at that," he said darkly. "You killed Mufasa, and exiled Simba. You claimed the throne, and pretty much ruined the Pridelands with your fear-based, inept reign." The baboon stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Although my time with Wazimu has admittedly raised some interesting insights on some of the worst parts."

He looked to Scar and saw the prince wasn't even listening any more – in fact, he was laughing to himself. When Rafiki questioned him as to why, Scar gave him a meaningful look. "You know," said the lion, "I did my best to follow what you were saying. As ridiculous as it is, I do have to admit that that _is _Wazimu running around. And I also concede that he's pulling off impossible feats. But the whole time-travel thing I was sceptical of, and now you've ruined any chance you had of getting me to believe you."

"And why is that?"

Scar gave him a boastful look, and said with complete honesty, "Because I am perfectly suited to kingship. There is no conceivable way I could ever fail as a monarch to that degree. Now, perhaps killing Mufasa was not a good option, but if – when – I become king, I will run everything far better than he ever could. I appreciate that your heart is in the right place, but there's no need to resort to such an unlikely lie."

Rafiki stared at him, dumbfounded. "_He believed everything I told him about imaginary friends with magical powers, but laughed at me incredulously when I told him he'd make a bad king. Wazimu was right about one thing; he really is fantastically insane._"

* * *

><p>Vitani lay idly in a tree, staring up at the stars. From the sounds of things, the battle which had resulted in her being thrown up here had ended some time ago, so she was in no rush to climb down. Besides, it was a pretty high tree. It was probably a good idea that she didn't risk hurting herself. Yes.<p>

In an attempt to distract herself from the comparatively small but still considerable distance to the ground, she examined the tree she was in. She was amazed by the sheer amount of leaves. The only tree she had nearly as much greenery was Rafiki's baobab tree, but that was a special case – most of the normal trees she had seen while growing up were little more than overgrown twigs poking forlornly out of the ground. However, the plant she was currently stuck on top of was thick, strong, and brimming with life.

"_I don't think I've ever seen so much green in so small an area_," she thought to herself, examining the leaves brushing against her face. Experimentally, she tried biting down on one. The result was interesting, if unpleasant.

Spitting out her attempts to forward science, Vitani's eyes wandered to the ground. She caught sight of two figures, and signalled for their attention.

"Um, hello!" she called down. "Can you help me down?"

The figures came closer, until Vitani could clearly make out who they were. "Rafiki!" She cried. "Is that you?"

"It is! It is good to see you again, child."

Rafiki began to climb the tree, easily closing the distance. Scar sat down and watched him, unable to help.

Before long, the baboon had helped the young lioness down to the ground. She shook her head to rid herself of some lingering vertigo, and then exhaled deeply.

"Something really strange happened..." she murmured. "We were all at Pride Rock, waiting for you and Mufasa to come back. And then, Mufasa did come back, but he was laughing, in a really disturbing way. When he opened his eyes, they were purple, like the thing which attacked us back home. And then..." she trailed off.

Rafiki gave her a sympathetic look, but Scar was less patient. "And then what?" he pressed.

Vitani shrugged helplessly. "I wish I could tell you. I got hit by something, and then I found myself in this tree. I could still hear a commotion, but it ended a while ago."

"Then what are we doing here?" asked Scar. "Let's go, damn it!"

He strode towards Pride Rock, and after shooting Rafiki a puzzled look, Vitani followed him.

The area around Pride Rock was strewn with debris and moaning, dazed lions. It was obvious that some kind of skirmish had taken place, and a destructive one at that. Most worryingly of all, Wazimu was conspicuously absent.

"We had better check for injuries," said Rafiki.

"Yeah," agreed Vitani. "It might also be a good idea to make sure everyone's still here."

Scar, Vitani and Rafiki dispersed among the wreckage, clearing detritus off of the prone bodies.

"Looks like everyone's okay so far," called Vitani. She recognized one of the lionesses as Sarafina, Nala's mother, and did her best to encourage her to stand.

"Yes, it seems that way," replied Rafiki. "Why, hello there," he added when he saw the older Simba lying unconscious on the ground. There was a gash on his forehead, which looked like it was caused by a heavy swipe from a stronger lion's claw. Although there was a considerable amount of blood on his face, the injury was quite minor, and had already stopped bleeding.

"Indeed. It seems as though we have been fortunate," concluded Scar. Having circled the area once, he came to a stop. Suddenly, his ear twitched. He could make out a slight noise coming from the inside of Pride Rock.

He signalled the others to be quiet, and then Scar began to silently climb up towards the den. He couldn't quite identify the noise, but assumed the worst. Was Wazimu lying in wait to continue the fight?

After what seemed like an eternity, Scar turned the corner and looked inside the cave. To his relief, he couldn't see Mufasa's bulky form within. The sound was now clear to him – it was a cub crying.

He drew closer, and found a disturbing sight. Sarabi was crumpled in a heap on the floor, a noticeable amount of blood surrounding her. She wasn't moving. Her young son had his face buried in her back, and was sobbing loudly.

Scar coughed politely, and Simba nearly jumped out of his skin. The cub whirled around, panic clear on his face, although he calmed slightly when he saw his uncle.

"S-scar..." he gasped out. "M-m-mom, s-she... I didn't know this would happen to her!"

"Of course, of course," consoled Taka, sweeping the cub into a small hug. "No-one ever means for these things to happen." Internally, Scar was horrified at the thought of actually embracing Simba, but Taka managed to quash such thoughts. "Rafiki!" he called over his shoulder. He turned his attention back towards the wailing cub. "What happened?"

"I couldn't sleep, so me and Nala stayed up to listen to the adults," Simba forced out between sobs. "Dad came back, but, he was acting weird... and then he attacked K-kopa... I ran outside, and Nala came with me, and Mom..." there was a pause, during which the cub couldn't form words, "Mom tried to protect me, but Dad saw me, and... she got me inside, but he..."

By now, Rafiki had entered the cave and was examining Sarabi. He had immediately set to work, realizing the facts of the situation as soon as he arrived. Vitani had also come into the cave, Sarafina woozily following her. Taka saw that his nephew was too upset to speak any more, so the older lion simply laid a reassuring paw on Simba's head.

"Her leg has been very badly injured, hence all the blood," diagnosed Rafiki. Simba removed his face from Scar's increasingly wet leg to look at the baboon with anxious, tear-filled eyes.

The shaman gave him a reassuring smile. "Do not worry, little one. She'll survive. She will have to rest for quite some time, and she won't hunt again for quite some time, but her life is in no real danger."

The young lion sighed with relief, but to Scar's frustration made no attempt to disentangle himself from his uncle.

Vitani turned towards Sarafina. "You might be the only person awake who saw everything. Can you tell us anything we don't already know?"

Sarafina shrugged nervously. "I don't know. The fight was hard to follow. Let's see... Mufasa came back, started laughing, and then Kopa leaped at him. Mufasa knocked him away, and then there was a huge gust of wind and Vitani disappeared."

"Yeah, I know about that part," muttered Vitani under her breath.

"After that, the cubs came out of the den. Mufasa dived for Simba, and hurt Sarabi. Then Sarabi brought Simba inside, but Nala fell into the fray..." Sarafina's eyes grew distant thinking about her cub. "I... I haven't seen her since the disc happened."

Rafiki and Vitani blinked in unison. "What? A disc?" questioned Vitani.

Sarafina nodded uncertainly. "Yes, there was a big purple disc. I didn't get a good look at it, I got knocked over shortly after it appeared. But... my cub is missing now, as well as quite a few others..."

"Oh no, they went through the disc..." breathed Vitani. "They could be anywhere..."

Rafiki cleared his throat. "No, I know where they are. Probably. Wazimu told me that he can only travel between two periods of time. So they should be back in the time we came from."

Sarafina blinked slowly at the baboon. "...What?"

Scar shook his head. "Don't try to understand it. It's too late at night, even if it made the slightest bit of sense. Which it doesn't."

Rafiki gave what he hoped was a reassuring grin to all assembled. "All the more reason we should all go to sleep," he declared.

The lions looked at him incredulously. Even Simba looked unconvinced. "Are you serious?" asked Vitani.

Rafiki nodded. "Completely. This problem isn't going to solve itself within the next five minutes. You might find it hard to relax after all this insanity, but if you want any chance of restoring order, you need to be well rested."

Scar sighed. "There is logic to what he says. And I don't think there's a person here who isn't exhausted. So, I decree we rest."

Scar raised his head to see that the others were giving him odd looks. "Decree?" queried Sarafina.

"Yes," growled Scar. "Decree. Unless you'd prefer to follow Mufasa's instructions?"

"Seeing as the last thing he said to me was 'Die, you pitiful piece of trash', I suppose not," answered Sarafina meekly.

"Good," said Scar. "Then it's time we all slept."


	16. The light of another day

Fractured or otherwise, time marches on. The sun fell and rose again, casting dull light over the the dusty ground. A gentle breeze blew grey ash into the sky – a reminder of a conflict which had taken place an uncomfortably short time in the past. A few citizens ventured out of their homes, greeting each other unenthusiastically. The air was still, and a tense, worried silence was omnipresent.

At least, it was present in most places. For on top of Pride Rock, a small figure was walking agitatedly back and forth, yelling loudly to his friend.

"I'm telling ya Pumbaa, it has to be that sleaze-ball Kovu! He offed Simba and Nala to claim the throne. It's obvious!"

"But I thought he was good now."

"Pfft. They said the same thing about Scar, didn't they? And look where that got 'em – Mufasa dead and years of drought!"

"Timon, isn't his sister missing too?"

"For all we know, she's in on it! She high-tails it outta here at the same time to take suspicion off Kovu. It's exactly the kind of dirty trick those Outlanders would pull!"

"It sounds like a really smart move to me," said the warthog, his brow furrowing.

The meerkat clicked his tongue. "No, no, no. If _we_ did it, it'd be smart. When they do it, it's a dirty trick."

"Oh, ok."

Timon crossed his arms firmly. "I'm utterly convinced - it's gotta be Kovu. That's what I think, and I don't care who knows it!"

"Well then," came a voice from behind him, "I'll be sure to tell him."

Timon froze. "K-k-k-kiara!" he spluttered when he turned around. "I wasn't... Uh, I mean, Kovu, he's-"

"Save it, Timon," snapped Kiara. "I'm really not in the mood right now."

"Are you alright, princess?" asked Pumbaa sympathetically.

Kiara smiled. "Thanks for asking, Pumbaa. You've always had a good heart," she replied, dodging the question.

Timon coughed meaningfully, expecting a compliment of his own. However, all he received from Kiara was a glare. He decided not to press it.

Kovu ambled up to the group, yawning. He nuzzled Kiara, and nodded curtly to Timon and Pumbaa. "Morning," he said shortly.

"Hey there, tall dark and fuzzy," greeted Timon, doing his best to seem collected. "How goes the search?"

"I just got up, Timon," muttered Kovu groggily. "I haven't started yet."

"Right, right... Well, good luck."

"Jeez, Prince Kovu. D'you think you can find Simba?" asked Pumbaa. "We really miss him."

"I'm doing my best, Pumbaa. I'm sure he – and Nala, Rafiki and Vitani – are fine," answered Kovu resolutely.

At that moment, Zazu flapped up, landing on a nearby rock. "Morning, Princess Kiara," he said bleakly. "Hello, Timon, Pumbaa. _Prince _Kovu." The emphasis he gave the word 'prince' was impressive; just pronounced enough that Kovu noticed it, but not pronounced enough for the lion to be absolutely sure it was there. "Initial searches were as inconclusive as ever," reported the bird.

"Oh no," sighed Kiara. "Can you look again?"

Zazu resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Of course, princess," he replied quietly. Shooting Kovu an odd look, he flew off again.

"Well, uh," murmured Timon, "I think now's a good time as any for myself and Pumbaa to push off. See ya!"

"Tell me," called Kovu to the two parting figures, "are you actually going to help us find them, or are you just going to eat some bugs?"

Timon's sense of self-preservation prevented him from saying something rude, so his response merely consisted of a grunt. Pumbaa cast two concerned eyes back towards the couple, and then followed his meerkat friend.

"Don't take it out on them, Kovu," chided Kiara. "It's not their fault."

The dark lion ran a paw over his face. "Then whose fault is it? They didn't disappear into thin air... did they?"

Kiara, having no answer for her mate, merely nuzzled him.

Just then, Zazu flew towards the two lions. He landed on the same rock and opened his mouth to ask a question. However, before he could, Kiara cut him off.

"What's wrong, Zazu? Why are you here?"

The hornbill goggled at her for a moment, his eyes wide with shock. He stuttered for a short while, and then suddenly took off into the sky.

"Hey, wait, come back!" called the princess.

"What was that all about?" asked Kovu, puzzled.

"I don't know... I know everyone's shaken, but that's so unlike him," answered Kiara. "He looked like he had just seen a ghost."

Kovu grunted in agreement. He closed his eyes and ran through the facts of the matter for what seemed like the thousandth time.

Vitani was undertaking lessons in medicine from Rafiki; the baboon felt that his time in the Pridelands was growing short, and he wanted to be sure there would be someone who could tend to the pride's injuries when he was gone. He had only just begun to teach her, so the royal couple decided on the day of the incident to check in on their progress. Zazu confirmed that Simba told him their plans just before leaving Pride Rock, and that the king had assured his majordomo that they would all be home by sundown.

The sun set, with no sign of Simba, Nala, Vitani, or Rafiki. Kovu and Kiara, originally certain that their relatives were just returning at a leisurely pace, grew more and more agitated. Eventually, Zazu informed them that all four were not at Rafiki's home – or anywhere in the Pridelands, for that matter.

What followed was a few hours of panic. Kiara remained at Pride Rock to try and organize search parties and keep the others from becoming too frightened; Kovu, on the other hand, did the best he could to determine what had transpired. His personal examination of Rafiki's home led him to believe that some kind of battle had taken place – the dust on the ground was greatly disturbed, and it even seemed as though someone had fallen out of the tree. Further investigation of the Pridelands revealed that some animals had caught sight of a suspicious grey figure moving laboriously towards the baobab. But whoever it was, they seemed sickly; and more importantly, just like the other missing people, there was no sign of them anywhere.

"_Come on, think_," Kovu chided himself. "_There has to be an explanation. Surely it's not as impossible as it seems_."

Kiara's voice cut through his reverie. "What are we going to do today?"

Kovu gave her an odd look. "Well, search for them."

The lioness pulled her gaze away from him. "Yes, of course," she responded, "but what can we do today that we didn't do tomorrow?"

Kovu realized she had a point. He had covered most of the Pridelands in the search he conducted yesterday, and the places he skimmed over or missed entirely had been thoroughly explored by the search parties. Unless they found something they had missed the day before, there was little progress to be made.

Before he admitted all of this to her, his eye was caught by a speck of blue in the sky. "What, is he coming back _again?_" he wondered aloud.

The bird landed, and after greeting the duo with nothing more than a haughty stare he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, Kiara asked "Zazu, what was with you earlier?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, princess?"

"After you gave us the morning report, you returned and acted strangely. Don't you remember?"

Zazu's brow furrowed, and he snarled furiously. "If you two little brats honestly think that now is a good time for _joking around_-" he thundered.

"We're not joking," growled Kovu. "And don't even think about addressing Kiara like that again!"

Zazu inhaled deeply. "Enough. I don't have time for this foolishness."

"But-"

"I _said _enough," snapped the majordomo. "I came back here for a reason. There has been, of all things, a hyena spotting." At another time, such phrasing would have been normal for Zazu, but given the context it seemed unintentional.

"A hyena?" asked Kiara. "But they all moved on years ago..."

Kovu stared into space for a few seconds. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with a spark of realization. "Wait!" he called to no-one in particular. "I heard some reports of a grey figure lurking around Rafiki's tree just before the disappearances!"

Kiara bit her lip. "You don't think that it was a hyena?"

For the first time in twelve hours, Kovu smiled. "I _know _it's a hyena," he said confidently. "They said it had four legs, and the younger witnesses seemed a bit confused by it. And," he added, "if this hyena isn't the one that was spotted yesterday, it's still too coincidental to ignore. Zazu, where is he?"

"My sources say that there's a lioness and a hyena arguing at the waterhole. From the sounds of things, you'd want to get moving – if their fight turns physical, I know which one my money's on."

Kovu nodded. After briefly nuzzling Kiara in farewell, he set off down the slope of Pride Rock, running as quickly as he could.


	17. Checking in

Meanwhile, in the past (note: at this juncture, the author is no longer concerned with the chronologically nonsensical implications of such a phrase; his primary reason being that "meanwhile, in the past" is amusing to him), those left from Wazimu's sudden assault gathered in the light of the rising sun.

Rafiki looked over the motley assembly. In particular, his eyes lingering on his past self, who returned his gaze. The two baboons coughed awkwardly in nigh unison.

"So, anyway," announced the older shaman. The lions perked up their ears, awaiting for him to speak. "Wazimu – as Mufasa – has apparently gone back to the future. He took with him, whether he intended to not, the following people; Zira, Shenzi, Zazu, and both Nalas. Does everyone understand?"

Vitani nodded. The elder Simba nodded. Everyone else stared at Rafiki blankly, including Rafiki.

"Rrrrrrrrright," said Scar slowly, rolling the R in order to show his scepticism. "My super-powered imaginary friend brought four of you back from a future where I killed Mufasa, and now he's gone back again, taking with him some of our pride?"

"Precisely."

A heavy silence hung in the air.

"You are utterly devoid of sanity," stated Scar simply.

"You're crazy!" echoed the younger Simba from his mother's embrace. She hadn't let him move far from her since she was injured. For once, the cub didn't seem to mind.

"Scar, surely you have to admit something strange is happening here," attempted Vitani. "It's ridiculous, I know – in fact, I'm still hoping I've just hallucinated this whole damn thing – but until I wake up, can't you just play along?"

Scar's mouth twisted a bit, then he relented. Scar still respected Vitani more than most people, and Taka was looking for an excuse to get past Scar's stubbornness. "Fine," he said, sarcasm obvious in his voice. "Okay then, all of that is true. _Whatever._ But where does it leave us?"

"As it happens, you are very much involved, Scar," answered Rafiki. "In fact, you're the key to launching, shall we say... a rescue mission."

"Rescue mission?" asked Scar, an eyebrow raised. "Sounds-"

"Sounds _great!_" interrupted the younger Simba. When his uncle shot him a glare, he offered a reproachful "How else are we supposed to get Nala back?"

"I second that motion," said Simba smugly.

Again, Scar's mouth twisted. He was presented with a predicament; while in denial of it externally, he knew in his heart that the creature which had assaulted them was indeed Wazimu. But, if he could play on the scepticism of the group, he may be able to sweep the entire series of events, from the appearance of the three lions to Mufasa's attack last night, under the proverbial rug; and with that, he could assume the throne. Perhaps not the exact way he had envisioned usurping Mufasa, but he could hardly complain – after all, he would still be king.

"_King? King of what!" _spluttered Taka. "_The pride is shaken, there are _two _Rafikis standing in front of you, and your possessed brother just threw Zira __**into the future! **__How can you walk away from this?"_

"_Like this,_" responded Scar. "_Ahem. 'The disappearance of Mufasa was a terrible tragedy -"_

"_Oh no, not this speech _again_..." _

" _- but to lose... Zira... who had only..."_

"_...Only?"_

Scar remained silent.

"_We both know the speech backwards by now. What had she 'only begun to' do?"_

Scar still offered no answer.

"_Don't think I don't know where you were going with that. All the more reason we – _you_ – need to listen to Rafiki. We have to get her back."_

With that, Scar opened his eyes, and levelled them at the older Rafiki. "What's your plan?" he asked shortly.

The baboon showed a ghost of a smile. "It would be best if you and I discussed it in private. Come, this way."

With that, the shaman shuffled off, Scar following behind him.

"What a relief Scar decided to help," sighed Sarafina.

"Good thing he did, considering how long he just sat there in silence," grumbled Vitani condescendingly. "Talk about awkward." The younger Simba stifled a giggle.

* * *

><p>Rafiki took in the view of the lush, green Pridelands. He had been worried he would never see the country in such a state of fertility and wealth again. Admittedly, <em>his<em> Pridelands, the one he knew still existed ("to the side rather than the front", as Wazimu had said) was no doubt just as brown and dusty as it was when he left it. Still, at least it was a pleasant experience to relive some nostalgia.

Scar found the shaman staring into nothing, and coughed impatiently. "Well, what's so secretive about the plan that you can't discuss it in front of the others?"

Rafiki turned around, but had difficulty meeting Scar's gaze. "The only one who travel through time," he said slowly, "is Wazimu."

"Yes? And?" prompted Scar.

"That means that in order to travel to where - uh, _when _he is... we'll have to utilize the Wazimu inside you."

For a moment, the chuckling which constantly tickled the back of Scar's skull stopped abruptly. After a pause, it exploded into full-blown laughter.

"What? No, that's insane!" responded the lion. "There's no Wazimu 'inside me'. The very notion is... laughable."

Rafiki sighed. "You see, this is why I brought you away from the others. To spare you the shame of admitting your utter insanity."

"But I don't-"

"Save it!" snapped the baboon. "I spent a lot longer with Wazimu than any living being should. He told me all about it, and I know for a fact that there's a version of him inside your head."

Scar drew himself up. "And you believe everything that psychopath tells you? He was obviously lying!"

Rafiki couldn't help but chuckle. "Nice try. But don't worry, I can tell whenever someone's lying... like the sorry excuse for a prince in front of me, for example."

Scar's shoulders sagged as he relinquished. The lion gave a ragged sigh. "You honestly think I can control it?" asked Taka quietly. "Because I can tell you from personal experience that I can't."

Rafiki stepped towards Taka and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "But I'm telling you from my personal experience that a problem shared is a problem halved. Did you ever mention Wazimu to anyone? Mufasa, your parents?"

Scar gave a disdainful grunt to indicate the negative.

"Exactly!" said Rafiki. "I promise, it will be a lot easier to tackle with my help. In fact, we are in a unique position where you can have my supervision all hours, day or night."

"Right," said Taka. His lack of enthusiasm was evident.

"Cheer up, Prince Taka. Soon, we'll have you and your girlfriend reunited."

Taka started. "My... what?"

Rafiki grinned. "Whoops. Guess I let the cub out of the bag in regards to you and Zira."

"You mean... she and I, actually...?"

"Yes, actually. Where do you think Vitani came from?"

Taka's eyes glazed over as he processed this. After a few moments, the baboon cleared his throat. "So, uh, when do you want to start?"

The prince focused his gaze, looked Rafiki dead in the eye, and declared, "Immediately."


	18. What's so great about the waterhole?

"_You know these Outsider types..."_

"_Traitor, go back to your own!"_

"_... as plain as that scar on his face.."_

"_He asked for trouble the moment he came."_

To say Kovu had lived a carefree life since birth would be inaccurate. In fact, it would be an outright lie. Being raised in a dry wasteland by a lioness of loose sanity who wanted him to avenge someone he had never met by murdering someone else he had only ever met once was by no means a nurturing upbringing. In light of that, he had thought that the kingdom's reaction to his exile was a relatively small affair – he was more concerned with being separated from Kiara and being implicated in Zira's plan than he was with the opinions of some lowly herbivores. At least, he thought he was; but as he made his way through the Pridelands, he was acutely aware of the gazes of every bystander burning holes in the back of his head.

Far from being fearful, however, he found himself getting angrier. These people had claimed to have accepted him, and now at the slightest sign of trouble they all turn against him? _They _were the deceitful ones, not him! He had been trying his best to acclimatise to their land, and in turn they had been pretending to be civil and welcoming in order to follow the will of their royal family. However, it was evidently just that; pretence, and nothing more. They were poised, watching, waiting for him to step out of line so that they could tear him to shreds. The only one still on his side was Kiara – and with the entire kingdom against him, how long could he even rely on her?

Kovu stopped walking, leaned against a tree, and slowed his breathing. The tree creaked grumpily, and indication of its unhealthy state.

"I'm going crazy!" he thought aloud. "I have to keep calm. I have to get to the bottom of this, find the others, and make sure the kingdom doesn't fall apart. There's a lot I have to do... which is exactly why I need to stay focussed. Self-righteous paranoia will get me nowhere."

He took a few moments, doing nothing except breathing. Then, when his heart rate had slowed, he pulled himself upright and carried on at a slower pace.

Despite his earlier smug enthusiasm, he was no longer as certain of this hyena's involvement with the disappearance of the four missing people. By all means, it required his attention, but the long trek to the water hole had drained his assurance somewhat. Furthermore, he was almost certain that all of the pride's lionesses were either back at Pride Rock or were hunting on the other side of the kingdom, so the hyena's companion was most likely an outsider. If that was the case, it meant that the situation would only become even more complicated. Kovu sighed; he wasn't looking forward to this.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he was only wrenched out of his reverie when he collided head first with what seemed to be a huge rock.

"I would ask you pay more attention to your intended path in future," the rock called in a disinterested monotone.

Kovu blinked. He re-examined the rock, and realized it was in fact a hippopotamus. The hippo turned slowly to level two yellow eyes towards the lion.

"Hello," it greeted briefly.

"Um, hi," responded Kovu awkwardly.

"I imagine you're headed to the waterhole," announced the hippopotamus, "in order to investigate reports of a hyena arguing with a lioness."

"Uh, yes. That _is_ what I'm doing."

"In that case, it seems reasonable that we travel there as one party, as I am doing the same," he declared, never breaking his monotone.

Kovu looked the hippo up and down. He was hardly in a position to deny the request of a creature twice his height and four times his weight. He gave a meek shrug and said "Sure, okay. After you."

The larger animal turned back and began to plod towards the waterhole. Kovu padded up to his face, taking it in. He seemed familiar, somehow.

"Are you going to tell me your name?" queried Kovu.

"Kirefu," came the reply.

There was a rather long silence.

"... And have I met you before?" prompted Kovu. "I seem to recall your face."

"That is unsurprising," stated Kirefu. "I was present when King Simba exiled you. In fact, I added my opinion to that of the crowd's."

Recollection clicked inside Kovu's brain. "So... you were the one who claimed I had 'asked for trouble the moment I came'?"

"That was indeed me."

Kovu looked towards the horizon for a few moments. "And tell me this," he asked softly. "Do you still think that?"

Kirefu's answer surprised him. "That is irrelevant, Prince Kovu."

"Irrelevant?"

"Currently, yes, quite irrelevant. The kingdom is in turmoil, and regardless of the cause of that - and all rumours related to such – the priority of all citizens should be working towards renewing stability."

Kovu wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

"I'm not quite sure how to respond to that," said Kovu.

"I see," answered the hippo levelly.

They continued on in silence, Kovu feeling a little more mentally secure than he had been a few minutes ago. He could appreciate thinking like that.

* * *

><p>At last, Kovu and his new ally arrived at the watering hole. A nervous crowd had gathered to gawk at the two outsiders, one of whom was a rare oddity in the Pridelands. For their part, the argument between the two had apparently died down, and both were sitting in a moody silence, clearly not enjoying the attention being focussed on them.<p>

Kovu, after internally reminding himself that he was the closest thing the Pridelands had to a leader, broke through the crowd and strode up to the visitors.

"Greetings, my name is Kovu," he announced, with what he hoped was the steely tone of leadership present in his voice. "I have reason to believe that you are somehow connected with the disappearance of some very important people in our pride. As such, I demand that you answer... a few..." Kovu trailed off from his pre-prepared speech when his eyes fell upon the lioness. She looked disturbingly like his deceased mother.

"Well, isn't this a fine way to welcome someone to your country!" snapped the hyena. She blew the bangs out of her eyes huffily. "We only just got here, and you already say we're of guilty of some crime! You damn lions are all the same."

"Shut up for once, Shenzi," snarled Zira. "Or do I need to beat the stuffing out of you again?"

The crowd took a collective intake of breath, hoping the two would come to blows. The only thing more interesting than two outsiders was two outsiders tearing each other's throats out.

"If that's what you want, fine!" retorted the one known as Shenzi. "I'll rip your ears off, Zira!"

As Zira prepared to lunge at Shenzi, the crowd's collective mood sprang up, and all assembled huddled together in an attempt to get a better view. However, one among the crowd had no intention of letting them fight. It wasn't due to some lofty sense of morality – fights were his only real source of entertainment growing up, so if anything he appreciated them more than most. However, after hearing the lioness' name, Kovu was certain something strange was afoot, and it was for that reason that he leaped in between the two foreigners.

Zira nearly lost her balance after her intended target was suddenly replaced by some upstart punk, but recovered quickly. She gave him her best derisive look (a crude imitation of one of Scar's several) and spat "Just what do you think you're doing, fool?" It was a sentiment shared by the crowd, who were muttering among themselves about how Kovu had better move aside before the strangers lost their fighting spirit.

"Y... your name is Zira?" queried Kovu, wilting under the lioness' glare. Behind him, Shenzi laughed raucously at his timidity.

"Yes!" Zira snapped. "What has that got to do with anything?"

Kovu was beginning to panic now. He belatedly realised that throwing himself between a furious lioness and an angry hyena, intent on disembowelling each other, may not have been the smartest thing he had ever done. Furthermore, the crowd was now distinctly glaring at him, irritated that he had spoiled the fun. Kovu closed his eyes and hoped the situation wouldn't worsen further.

It was at that moment that a calm voice cut through the tense silence. "I believe I may be able to offer an explanation."

All eyes turned towards a hippo who was standing impassively nearby.

"You see," he stated, seemingly unaware of the intense attention being focussed on him, "Prince Kovu's mother was a lioness by name of Zira, and bore a striking resemblance to you."

Zira raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged. "Fair enough," she said in a neutral tone of voice. Many of the assembled animals were now peering at her, and some began to whisper to each other that this lioness did look sort of like the one which had previously waged war on their now-missing king.

"In any case," Kirefu rumbled, clearly audible over the hubbub of the crowd, "I'm sure Prince Kovu can discuss this more comfortably with you at his place of residence."

Kovu realised with a jolt that Kirefu was attempting to defuse the situation, and more surprisingly, he was succeeding. Zira shifted on her weight uncomfortably, and then relented. "Fine," she sighed. "But I'm afraid I have to take his piece of trash with me," she added, gesturing to Shenzi.

"Piece of trash!" spluttered the hyena. "Your boyfriend's the piece of trash! And why the hell are you still guarding me? Mufasa's not around any more, genius!"

"_They know a Mufasa? Now this is just getting ridiculous..."_ thought Kovu.

"Maybe not," retorted Zira, "but he still gave me an order. Besides, anything bad for you is funny to me." She turned back towards Kovu. "Well?" she snapped.

"Uh, that way," said Kovu, pointing towards Pride Rock. Zira held up her head and strode off. Shenzi followed dejectedly after her, deciding that playing along might be the smarter option. The crowd dissipated, knowing that no fight was going to take place; not here, at least.

Kovu approached Kirefu and looked him in the eye. "That was... um, thanks," he managed.

"It was nothing, Prince Kovu."

Kovu laid a paw as high on Kirefu's shoulder as he could reach. "Remind me to tell Simba never to eat you."

"Much appreciated, sir."


	19. As slippery as your mind is

Scar sat looking at Rafiki, who returned his gaze levelly. The lion then turned his head to look at Rafiki, who returned his gaze in a level fashion.

"I don't think I'll ever quite get used to this set-up," muttered the prince.

"Well, try," snapped the older Rafiki, who had been enviously eyeing his counterpart's stick for some time now. "We have to crack open that skull of yours, and time is of the essence." There was a pause as all present considered pointing out the possibly irony of using that phrase, and each individually decided against it.

"So, where do we begin, Rafikis?" said Scar breezily, attempting to distract himself from the confusing gravity of the situation by making light of it.

The younger Rafiki stroked his chin. "Do you ever talk to the other personalities? Internally, of course."

Scar threw his emerald eyes to the heavens. "Taka never shuts up, especially of late."

"And Wazimu?"

Scar shifted. "Haven't exchanged coherent words with him in years."

Both Rafikis hummed thoughtfully, reaching an interesting harmony. "Well, speaking to Taka is a start," said the elder after a time. "Trying doing it now."

Scar gave a scoff indicating his distaste. "Ugh. Must I?"

"Oh no, feel under no pressure to follow our instructions," said the younger Rafiki in a soothing tone.

"Yes," continued his future self in the exact same tone. "We'll just sit around all day and let the all-powerful demon tear your girlfriend into little lion-chunks."

Scar sighed, relenting to their logic. The two baboons shared a smile, pleased with their teamwork.

"But before you do, we'd suggest having some of this." A Rafiki pushed forward half of a fruit's shell, which was serving as a container for a gooey red liquid. "It's a little concoction which should make it a bit easier to talk to Taka," explained the other.

Scar shrugged. He didn't think he needed any assistance on that front, but after being condescendingly reminded of the stakes, he decided it was best to follow the directions given to him by the duo. He gripped the makeshift cup awkwardly between his two front paws, lifted it, and drank some of the liquid. It was by no means pleasant, but thankfully not much of the mixture had to be consumed for it to achieve its effects.

After draining the cup of about half its contents and allowing his ever-faithful servant Gravity to remove it from his grip, he sat back, closed his eyes, and waited for the whining to start.

"_And a fine hello to you to, you sadistic excuse for royalty,_" came a familiar internal voice.

"_My, that was impressive. You sullied my thoughts with your spineless presence almost immediately. At this rate, I'll have developed a migraine in just a few seconds." _

"_A migraine is by far too tiny a punishment for you, you monster. But I'm not in a position to inflict anything else on you, so I'll gladly take that."_

"_Alright, enough charming wordplay. You heard the baboons; bring me Wazimu."_

"_My word, you really are stupid."_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_You heard me! You honestly think I have any control over it? If I did, I wouldn't be kicking around the back of my own head, would I?"_

"_Ah. Well... yes, I have to concede you have something of a point there."_

"_Indeed."_

"_Quite."_

"_So, what happens now?"_

"_I must admit I'm at a loss. Intelligent as I am, this is not my field of expertise."_

"_Oh? Well, that's hardly a surprise. Saving lives is probably very different from ending them."_

"_Oh, give it a rest, you self-righteous coward. I swear, I would gl-"_

"_Ssh!" _Taka snapped suddenly._ "Be silent! Do you hear that?"_

Although he did not take kindly to being interrupted, Scar followed his lesser self's order and strained his mental ear. It took a few seconds for him to make out the sound, but when he did, it was unmistakable; laughter.

"_So, there it is," _Scar thought in a quiet tone of voice, regardless of the fact that stealth is redundant when all parties involved are a sharing a brain. "_Our approach should be carefully considered."_

"_Yeah, sure," _responded Taka. Then, he yelled _"Hey, crazy! Stop giggling and use your words!"_

"_My, aren't _you_ getting brave?" _snarled Scar.

"_Brave, arguably," _Taka replied. _"Tired of this damn insanity, certainly."_

"_Well, well, well," _crackled a third voice, dripping with an odd blend of sophistication and madness._ "How nice that all three of us have sat down to talk again. And before either of you waste your breath, I have been following all these developments, and no, I'm not going to help."_

"_Foolish beast!" _spat Scar. _"I created you, and you will obey my will!"_

Wazimu gave a melodious laugh. _"Aww, that's just precious."_

"_Even I have to admit that was pretty naïve of you," _added Taka. "_I mean, as his _actual_ creator, don't you think that was the_ first _thing I tried?"_

Scar gave a few incoherent splutters of rage before relenting. _"Enough! I tire of both of you! You can rot for all I care!"_

"_Love you too, best friend!" _countered Wazimu, his voice shaking with mirth.

"_Goodbye, heartless imposter," _said Taka. Despite his harsh words, his tone conveyed a weary apathy. "_Come back when you have an actual plan."_

With that, Scar opened his eyes and shook his head vigorously, as though to force his two room-mates to tumble out of his ears.

"Well, that was hardly successful," he announced to the two Rafikis.

"We know," was the chuckled response.

When Scar gave the younger Rafiki a puzzled look, the elder one offered an explanation. "That drink we gave you wasn't to help you speak with Taka. What it actually did was make you think aloud... which means we heard the entirety of that three-'person' conversation."

Scar goggled at the two shamans. Shamen? It was probably shamans, but that didn't sound right.

"It is 'shamans'," clarified the younger Rafiki. "Anyway, we'll get thinking on our next step."

Humiliated and confused, Scar turned and walked away from the baboons. As he walked, he cursed them in as many ways as he could possibly think of.

"Oh, and by the way," called the older Rafiki. "You may want to avoid other people for an hour or so... especially with that imagination!"

The two versions of the same baboon shared a hearty peal of laughter at the expense of the lion compulsively muttering obscenities to himself.

* * *

><p>Vitani lay on the ground, idly watching Simba stalk in the long grass, sneakily approaching his target, before leaping through the air and tackling himself in the face. While Simba often struck himself in the face, this case was unusual in two respects. Firstly, it was entirely intentional, and secondly, he was in actuality pouncing on to his own future self.<p>

The lioness sighed. Although she had come to terms with her situation, it was by no means easier to comprehend. Not for the first time, she was glad she didn't have to deal with her own past self.

There was a polite cough behind her which caught her attention. She turned her head to see a lioness who, although obviously concerned about something else, was giving Vitani a warm smile.

"Hello there," she said amicably. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Vitani gave a shrug. "Sure, no problem." As the other lioness lowered herself down, Vitani studied her, trying to recall her face. "You're... Sarafina, right? Nala's mother?"

"Yes, I am." The older lioness' eyes focused on some point in the middle distance. "I'm worried for her. She's somewhere out there, and she could be badly hurt..." Sarafina's voice trailed off.

Vitani shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not really sure I can help you with that..."

Sarafina straightened herself a bit. "I suppose no-one can. I just have to hope she comes home okay..." There was a sad silence for a few moments, and then Sarafina said "I'm sorry. I started this conversation off badly."

"No, it's fine," replied Vitani quickly, "it's kind of a big deal."

"You can say that again," murmured Sarafina. "Anyway... I came over here because you've kept to yourself all this time, and to be honest, I'm curious about you. Would you mind telling me a bit about yourself?"

Vitani tilted her head. "Alright. Although I should tell you, it might seem a little unbelievable."

Now it was Sarafina's turn to shrug. "I think I'll be okay."

"If you insist then," answered Vitani. "Alright, I'd better start at the start. Have you gotten to the part where Scar and Zira start blushing at each other?"


	20. What have we got here?

Zazu flew high above the Pridelands, straining his eyes against the glaring sun. Currently, he was investigating an area close to the border with the Elephant Graveyard. He kept a sharp lookout for his missing employers, but knew that his chances of finding Simba and the others were slim indeed. After all, this would be his third search in less than two days, and barring the unlikely occurrence of the three lions (plus one baboon) falling from the sky, he assumed his searching would be fruitless.

It was for this reason that Zazu nearly crashed when he heard a familiar voice floating on the wind.

"Don't worry. I know somewhere nearby where we'll be safe."

"Ok, if you say so..."

Zazu resisted the urge to squawk. He knew for certain that it was Queen Nala he was hearing. He focused and tried to work out where her voice was coming from. On the ground below, the conversation continued.

"Actually, this is where I come from."

"Really? That's cool." A pause. "It's kind of... dusty."

"Yeah, it is," responded Nala. "There was a fire here recently, you see."

"Oh right," replied the younger voice she was talking to. Zazu couldn't quite place it, but it sounded vaguely familiar. "Anyway, Kiara, have you any idea how we got here?" the younger voice continued. "I mean, we were at Pride Rock a minute ago, before..." The voice trailed off.

"Yes, I know," Nala said after a while, restarting the conversation. "I think I know more about it than you do, but that's still not a lot..."

By this point, Zazu had worked put the location of the two lionesses, and was hastily flapping his way towards them. He had been concentrating on working out the origin of the voices that he had stopped paying attention to what exactly they were saying, hence his failure to notice the incongruity of Nala being called by her daughter's name.

"What makes you think you know more than me?" queried Nala's companion, a twinge of a defensive tone become apparent.

The older lioness sighed. "This is going to take a lot of explaining. I'd better start with something small. My name isn't Kiara."

"Really?" A pause. "That's a shame. I see why you'd lie though. It's a nice name."

Nala laughed. "I'm glad you think that!"

"Why?"

"Uh... you'll see. But for now, one thing at a time. My real name is-"

"Queen Nala!" Zazu cried as he finally landed. "We've all been so worried! Your daughter is practically sick with grief! Where did you go? Where's Simba? Where's Rafiki? What happened? The kingdom is in disarray! It's so good to have you back! Where have you been?!" the majordomo blurted out in a rush. He had been talking so quickly that when he finished his tirade he had to take several gulping breaths of air.

Nala had been trying her best to follow the entire speech, but her younger self only listened to the first two words before zoning out. "Your name's Nala too?" she yelled as soon as the bird had stopped talking. "_And_ you're a queen? That's awesome!"

Zazu, who up until now had ignored the cub, gave her a questioning look. "Say, you seem familiar," he said. "Have we met?"

The younger Nala looked at Zazu, and realized who it was. "Zazu, you're here too!" she said happily. "Did Mufasa hit you with the purple stuff too?"

Zazu stared at the younger Nala in complete bewilderment. "E-... excuse me?"

The queen sighed again. "I'll explain on the way back to Pride Rock," she said. "Or I'll try to, at least..."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, two figures made their way through the outskirts of the Pridelands. Or, to be more accurate, one figure made its way through the outskirts of the Pridelands while a second lay on the back of the first eating a beetle.<p>

"Timon, are you sure this is the right way to go?" Pumbaa called up the the meerkat using his spine as a hammock.

"Feh," came the well-considered reply. "It doesn't really matter, does it? Every direction's the same."

There was something of a pained silence. After a while, Pumbaa ventured "Gee, Timon, you don't sound very happy..."

"Of course I'm not happy!" exploded the meerkat. "It's all falling apart! Simba's gone, and without him, we're next!"

"Uh... what?" said the warthog, not following his friend's train of thought.

"Oh come on, Pumbaa! Don't tell me you haven't noticed how the other animals look at us?"

"... No?"

"Well there's a surprise..." muttered Timon grumpily to himself. He sighed and made a dramatic 'calming down' gesture. "Let me spell it out for you, and don't worry, I'll use small words. Right, so this whole country operates on a Circle of Life deal, right?"

"Right."

"And that basically means that the pointy animals eat the squishy animals, right?"

"Right."

"But there is some order, in the form of the king. What he says goes, right?"

"Right."

"So if he says to all the pointy animals, 'Don't eat these specific squishy animals', they won't, right?"

"Right."

"And if one day the king has just up and disappeared, are those pointy animals going to keep following that order?"

"Right."

"What?"

Pumbaa blinked. "Oh, sorry. I kinda fell into a rhythm there. What was the question?"

Timon pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to remain calm. "I said," he repeated tersely, "do you think that if the king leaves the other animals will still follow his instructions?"

Pumbaa considered it for a few moments. "I'm going to say, 'Yes'."

"And _I'm _going to say, 'Oh please Mister Cheetah, don't eat me, argh, no, help, please, arrrrrrgh'."

A few cogs turned unhurriedly inside the warthog's mind. "So you're implying that with Simba gone we're in danger?" he asked at last.

Timon clapped slowly. "Yes Pumbaa, that's exactly what I'm implying. Well done. It only took you forever to work it out."

"Thanks," replied Pumbaa absent-mindedly. "So, what do you think we should do?"

Timon sat down heavily. "Well, here's where things stand. Simba, our best pal and the guy preventing us from getting eaten, has gone. So have his wife and the monkey, the only two other people we really got on with. Kiara distrusts us – with good reason, maybe – and we distrust those Outlanders."

"I don't."

"But I do. So we distrust them as a group."

"Oh, I see..." Pumbaa said sadly. A thought occurred to him. "Wait, what about Zazu?"

"Who cares about Zazu?"

"His mother probably does."

"Pumbaa, would ya let me continue?"

"Oh. Sorry."

"Right, where was I? Oh yeah. Point being, there's not a whole lot left for us here any more, except for potentially getting eaten. So I propose we bid Kiara goodbye and good luck, and wander back to our little slice of heaven by the waterfall. It'll be like old times. Problem solved. Whaddaya think?"

Pumbaa was about to answer when something ahead of him caught his attention. "Hey, Timon, look at that!"

Timon lazily glanced upwards. During the course of their conversation, the duo had wandered straight into the Outlands, quite close to where Zira had set up her base of operations. He could see the termite hill on the horizon, and it was in that direction that Pumbaa was pointing. Although it was hard to be certain at such a long distance, there appeared to be some strange glowing light emanating from inside the mound.

"Huh. That's freaky," said Timon, nonplussed.

"Do you think we should see what it is?" queried the warthog.

Timon scratched his chin. On one hand, the glow didn't seem particularly inviting, and the meerkat's self-preservation instincts were not wholly comfortable with the idea of getting closer. On the other hand...

"Eh, what the hell," declared Timon, pulling on Pumbaa's ears as a signal to continue, "You only live once!"


	21. The past can hurt

_**Auithors Noital: **It appears I have drawn a small amount of criticism for the ending line of the previous chapter, which I am given to understand has become some kind of irritating acronym-based meme. For those of you who found this distasteful, please rest assured it was completely unintentional. I don't keep up with what it is the young people are doing nowadays. _

_We will now return to the previously scheduled, increasingly convoluted story._

* * *

><p>Rafiki gave himself a grave look. "Have any ideas?"<p>

His older self, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, twisted his mouth irritably. "If I did, I would have said them," he snapped.

The younger Rafiki put his hands up defensively. "Very well, just checking."

The two baboons sat a while, each considering the situation from different angles. Of course, these events were hard on everyone involved, but both Rafikis felt the weight of the responsibility which rested on them. As the shaman, they were the one (or ones, as it were) who were supposed to provide the solution. But this was a far cry from a broken leg or difficult pregnancy. Time being ripped apart by a psychopathic being beyond physical form is not a situation most healers are taught to deal with.

After some time, Rafiki-1 opened his eyes and creakily assumed a standing position. His younger self, who shall henceforth be known in the narration as Rafiki-2, looked at him expectantly.

Rafiki-1 sighed. "Here's what I've been considering. Wazimu told me all about itself, how it started to have control over the elements. The only problem is that its abilities developed very slowly. It will be years from now before it has the ability to travel through time, as far as we know."

Rafiki-2 made a pained face. "And if we wait that long, the Wazimu in the other time could well kill dozens, and quite possibly go on to a completely different time period still."

"If we wait that long," said Rafiki-1 morosely, "I'll die of old age."

"So wait are you saying?" the younger baboon asked. "That, hilarious as it is to watch Scar yell at himself, the path we're going down isn't going to work?"

Rafiki-1 leaned back and stared in the sky. He then said, slowly, "You know, maybe it isn't. I'm saying that there's no way for us to follow the first Wazimu back to the future. But maybe..." he trailed off.

Rafiki-2 scowled. "Hey, you senile old coot!" he yelled grumpily. "Finish your sentences!"

Rafiki-1 blinked slowly. "Tell me," he said quietly. "Of all the people who have been, um, doubled, have any of the younger versions been killed?"

Rafiki-2 gave it some thought. "Mercifully, I don't think anyone has died yet," he answered after running through everyone in his head.

The older shaman nodded slowly. "I thought so. In that case, I have an idea... but it's not pretty."

Rafiki-2 didn't allow his older counterpart to voice his proposal, as he had already worked it out from context. "You don't mean... we kill Scar, and hope that solves the problem?" he asked, face paling.

Rafiki-1 shrugged. "I told you it wasn't pretty."

The younger shaman spluttered. "That's an understatement! For one thing, we don't even know if it will work!"

Rafiki-1 slowly raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting we conduct a test?"

Rafiki-2 stood in angry silence for a moments, and then sat down heavily, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself.

After a long, tense pause, the younger baboon asked softly "Is there no other way?"

"I honestly don't think so," came the answer. "Otherwise, I wouldn't even have mentioned it."

"Then... a test is in order. Otherwise we're either wasting our best asset, or releasing it from what little control we have over it. And either way, we'd also be ending an innocent life for no reason."

Rafiki-1 gave his companion a quizzical look. "Did you just refer to Scar as 'innocent'?"

Rafiki-2 scoffed. "Of course not. I was talking about the other one."

Rafiki-1 nodded. "Oh, right. I forgotten about him."

"I imagine many do."

"So, how do we go about this?" asked the elder Rafiki. "Is there any way to test the theory without loss of life?"

Rafiki-2 stroked his beard. "Maybe we cut something off the younger self, like hair?"

Rafiki-1 rolled his eyes. "We can't cut that out. It'll grow right back."

"You know what I'm trying to say! Maybe a notch out of the ear or something. A small change that would stay on the body."

"Right... but who do we do it on? I mean, it could have unintended effects... who knows what could happen."

Rafiki-2 nodded in agreement. "Besides which, you're getting pretty fragile. There's a chance that it could give you a wound your old body couldn't take."

Rafiki-1 gave a self-righteous glare. "I'll let that one slide. Besides, I'm less worried about the physical effects. This is confusing stuff we're dealing with. If we affect someone's body like this, it could potentially have terrible implications for their mind."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if suddenly all your memories of having a complete ear were forcibly changed, that might shake your mental foundations a little. Or at least, it might if you were someone who relied very heavily on their mind."

"So what we need is someone who we have both versions of, that has a strong body but not much in the thinking department."

The two baboons rubbed their chins and both came to the same conclusion.

* * *

><p>"...And then Zira says to me, 'Vitani, attack!', but I look her straight in the eye and say 'To hell with you and your rules!' and the rest of the Outlanders rally behind me. And that's how I brought peace to the kingdom."<p>

"Um, that's good and all," said Sarafina uncertainly, "but it seems like Kovu and Kiara did most of that."

Vitani rolled her eyes. "Well, yes, they laid the foundation. But these things are group efforts. Without me, who knows how long things could have dragged on for."

"Right..." replied Sarafina. "What happened to Zira, anyway?"

Vitani gave an awkward scowl. "Well, after I stood up to her she attacked by herself and ended up rolling off a cliff."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It wasn't a great moment for anyone..." said Vitani quietly.

"Was it hard, losing your mother like that?"

Vitani considered her answer. "To be honest, everything moved so fast after that fight, I never really gave it much thought. Although, now I think about it, I guess the _fact_ I didn't give it much thought is just an indication that I'm kinda glad to see the back of her." Her face darkened. "She wasn't the best of parents."

"It's hard to believe Zira became so ruthless..."

"And insane. Don't forget insane. I certainly can't."

"And... insane, yes," added Sarafina somewhat reluctantly. "I mean, I've known her since she joined the pride and she always seemed so shy."

Vitani shrugged cynically. "Love makes you do crazy things, I suppose. Really, _really_ crazy things. Dangerously crazy things."

The two lionesses sat in silence for a while and watched Simba playfully bat his past self into a rock while Sarabi looked on laughing softly to herself.

"I do miss Nuka, though," Vitani said after a while. "Funny thing. I found him almost impossible to stand, and yet, I really missed him when he was gone."

"Sometimes that happens," said Sarafina. "Sometimes, you don't appreciate what you have, until..."

"Until it's buried under an avalanche of logs?"

"... You have a very morbid view of the world."

"Most of my childhood was spent planning someone's death. What exactly do you expect?"

"Fair point..."

At that moment, the duo looked up to see the two Rafikis approaching, with a sullen looking Scar following slowly behind them. Gradually, and naturally, everyone gathered around the baboons, as their grave countenances gave the impression that they had something important to discuss.

"We've been considering things," announced Rafiki-1, "and we have come to the conclusion that, as things stand, we cannot follow Wazimu to wher- uh, when he's taken the others."

A shiver of disappointment ran through the ragtag crowd. Taka's emotions were a mix of relief and increased worry for Zira. Scar remained impassive. Wazimu giggled.

"However," Rafiki-2 said darkly, "we may have a way to combat Wazimu from here."

The two shamans, for that is indeed the plural of the word shaman, approached the younger Simba and leaned over him.

"How would you like," one asked, "to further the cause of Science?"


	22. The King of Pride Rock

Kiara lay in an exhausted heap outside the royal den on Pride Rock. The increasingly hopeless search for her parents had taken a heavy toll on her both mentally and physically. At the moment, she wasn't exactly sleeping, but she certainly wasn't fully awake. As soon as the last worried subject had exited the area and left Kiara alone, the lioness had gently sank to the ground and switched her mind off. She tried to fall fully asleep, but some part of her understood that at any moment yet another animal would barge their way up the slope and demand answers for seemingly endless questions. With this in mind, Kiara had refused to let herself sleep.

Just as she was groggily considering revising this position, she heard heavy, booming footsteps down at the base of Pride Rock. With no small amount of effort, Kiara pulled herself upright and did her best to look royal.

The footsteps unhurriedly travelled up the slope of Pride Rock, heralding a rather strange procession. At the front, leading the way, was a lost-looking Kovu. Behind him there was a sullen hyena, glaring at the world from under her bangs. The hyena was being watched closely by the angry eyes of a lioness who was walking directly behind her. Bringing up the rear of the group was a vaguely familiar hippopotamus, who was doubtlessly the origin of the loud footsteps.

Kiara looked slowly from her mate, to the hyena, to the strange lioness, to the stoic, hulking herbivore. Her gaze returned to Kovu and she stated "Well... you've been busy."

Kovu sagged. "Tell me about it. Uh, I'd better introduce you. That guy is Kirefu..."

"Good day, Princess."

"... the hyena's name is Shenzi..."

"Not that it matters," scoffed the lioness. The hyena merely grunted disinterestedly.

"...and the lioness is named..." Kovu coughed uncomfortably. "The lioness' name is Zira, actually."

Kiara blinked at this news. Zira rolled her eyes irritatedly.

"Why are you people so _shocked _by that?" she shouted. "So I have the same name as your mother. Big deal. You're being overly dramatic."

Kovu personally felt that the one yelling at the top of her lungs was the one being needlessly dramatic, but he didn't particularly feel like sharing that observation.

Just as the silence which had followed Zira's outburst began to get uncomfortable, Kirefu noticed that someone was approaching, and pointed this out Kiara and Kovu. As the two young royals turned to peer into the shimmering heat of the landscape, Shenzi sidled up to Zira.

"Uh, listen," she began. "I know we're enemies, but something's bugging me about this place, and I was wonde-"

"Whatever it is you're saying," snapped Zira, because despite the hyena's request she wasn't listening, "I don't care. There's something off about this place, and I'm trying to work out what."

Shenzi opened her mouth to retort, failed to find anything worth saying, and merely sighed.

It wasn't long before three distant figures, one avian and two leonine, had closed the gap between the horizon and Pride Rock. Kovu and Kiara smelled them before they saw them. One was certainly Zazu, although that was by no means difficult to deduce. One was a cub who, while oddly familiar, they didn't recognize. However, there was no doubt in their minds as to who the third person was.

"_Mom!_" Kiara practically shrieked, propelling herself down the slope of Pride Rock as fast as her legs could carry her. The prospect of finally being reunited with her mother had shaken off the fatigue and woe which had plagued her for the past day, at least temporarily. Kovu, sharing in some of her excitement, followed her quickly, leaving Kirefu, Zira and Shenzi outside the den.

Nala turned a corner to see a cream blur barrel into her, nearly knocking her off her feet. Initially surprised, she soon released it was her daughter, and the queen relaxed.

"Mom!" repeated Kiara joyfully. "You're alive!"

Nala laughed softly. "I've missed you, Kiara." Behind her, the cub who was with her raised an eyebrow.

The queen looked past her daughter and smiled at her son-in-law, who cleared his throat.

"It's, uh, good to have you back, Your Highness," he greeted awkwardly.

"I missed you too, Kovu," said Nala warmly, eliciting a bashful grin from the younger lion.

With that, the group began to leisurely ascend Pride Rock. The cub went to ask a question, but before she could Kiara assaulted Nala with questions of her own.

"What happened, Mom? Where have you been for the past day? How come we couldn't find you? Were Dad and Vitani and Rafiki with you? Where are they now? Why aren't they with you?" Kiara blurted out. "...And where did you get this cub?" she concluded, once she noticed the smaller figure behind her mother.

"I'll explain as best I can," answered Nala steadily. "But first, can you tell me if there's any other strangers around? Anyone out of the ordinary?"

"Well, we have some strangers up by the den," answered Kovu.

"You do?"

"See for yourself." By now, the den was in sight, and Kovu nodded to the three animals outside it.

Upon seeing Nala, Zira smiled thinly. "Ah, Kiara, there you are."

Simultaneously, Kiara and the cub said "What?" in a puzzled tone of voice, although Kiara's was in a far less exasperated tone than the cub's.

Nala sighed and bit her lip. "This is a complete headache. I'd better start explaining, shouldn't I? Well, get comfortable, this could take a while."

With that, the assembled group seated themselves. Kovu and Kiara sat together, and Zira sat beside Shenzi and retrained her suspicious eyes on her prisoner. Zazu tucked in his wings and cast a haughty glance at Kirefu – ordinarily, it was frowned upon to have rabble in the home of the royal family, but the majordomo decided to raise this issue when the queen was finished her tale. The cub sauntered over to Zira, the only person nearby who she had known for more than a day, and sat uncertainly next to her.

"I don't have Rafiki's gift for storytelling, or Scar's eloquence, so I'm just going to go through all of this quickly and at the end you can ask questions. And you will probably have questions. Okay, here goes." Nala inhaled sharply. "There's a demon, and it's got magical powers. It attacked us, and stole Rafiki, and before we knew it, it had thrown myself, Simba, and Vitani into the past. We interrupted the stampede, and accidentally saved Mufasa's life. Simba's brain nearly melted. Myself and Simba decided that fake names would be a good idea, so we called ourselves Kiara and Kopa, which is the cause of the confusion there. And then the demon possessed Mufasa and attacked us and threw some of us back into this time. I don't know about Simba, Rafiki and Vitani, but they could still be in the past, I suppose. That cub there is me from when I was a kid. Kovu, the lioness next to her is your mother Zira. Before she was your mother, technically, but it's the same Zira. Um... yeah, that's everything."

Nala finished her speech and looked up into a sea of disbelieving faces.

"Well... It made sense to me," said the younger Nala cautiously after a long pause. "So you're me from the future?"

The older Nala smiled down at the cub. "Yes, I am."

Nala-2 nodded. "Cool."

The others were less accepting of the unbelievable truths which had been presented to them.

"So... the reason this reminds me so much of Pride Rock... is because it _is _Pride Rock?" asked Shenzi. "That... I suppose... no. What?"

Kovu and Kiara were staring at Zira in shock, and Zira was returning their gaze with bemused hostility. Neither party could formulate a good starting point for conversation on the topic, so staring was all they did.

"Hmm, getting all of that out into the open was nice," announced Nala. "Kind of funny how no-one questioned the time-travelling demon bit, although in fairness they've probably forgotten about that part already."

"Well, if no-one else will, I suppose I'll be the one to," declared Zazu. He cleared his throat. "Queen Nala, whatever is this talk of a time-travelling demon?"

"I didn't say I was able to _answer_ any questions about it," said the lioness reproachfully.

"Then how about a better question?" sniffed the bird, his relief over the queen's safety having dissolved into a tired exasperation. "'Did you eat anything strange Rafiki offered you?' Because that sounds like the simplest explanation to me."

"If I may interject, Sir?" inquired Kirefu.

"No. No you may not," huffed Zazu. "And just who do you think you are, attempting to interrupt a royal official?" The bird studied the rotund citizen and blinked. "Actually, that question isn't rhetorical. Who are you?"

"T-that's Kirefu," answered Kovu, tearing his eyes away from Zira. "He's... disturbingly logical. It might be a good idea to hear what he has to say."

The hippopotamus cleared his throat. "My thanks, Your Highness. Here are my observations. Whatever event the missing persons underwent, it was one of great magnitude and greater strangeness. It removed them completely from the Pridelands for well over a day, and during that time various search parties were unable to find a trace of any of the four. Now, one has returned suddenly, along with three others who, regardless of whether or not they are who the queen claims them to be, were most definitely not here yesterday. With such extraordinary circumstances, it would be remiss to rule out an extraordinary cause. As such, I for one am given to assume that Queen Nala's asseverations are genuine."

There was a pause as all present gave a long, hard look at Kirefu.

"Like I said," Kovu said almost triumphantly, "disturbingly logical."

"Thank you for putting things so persuasively, Kirefu," Nala said graciously.

"You are most welcome, my liege," replied the hippo, his eyes to the ground.

"I hate to break up the party," snapped Shenzi, "but are we going to sit here yapping about it, or are we actually going to do something?"

"Silence, filthy outsider!" snapped Zira dutifully for the eight time that day.

Nala sat down slowly. "Well, if anyone is to take action, it would have to be the king."

Gradually, one by one, every pair of eyes bar one – two blue, two red, one yellow, and two black – turned to look at Kovu.

The lion shifted uncomfortably, becoming uneasy under the group's silent gaze. "Wh... what are you looking at me for?" he asked innocently, although he already knew the answer.

"As much as it pains me to say it," spat Zazu, "with King Simba still missing you remain regent, and as such you are the one protocol dictates should be the one to produce a plan of action."

"I'm not so sure that's the best idea..." Kovu meekly protested. "I mean, I'm good at following plans, but I've never made one."

"Hah! Sounds to me like you're scared, oh mighty King Pompadour!" jeered Shenzi.

"You hush!" barked Zira. "He's not a coward, just a fool."

"Uh-" Kovu attempted.

"There are several factors which Prince Kovu should take into to consideration if he means to offer us a course of action," intoned Kirefu. "This is no light undertaking."

"I'll say," added the younger Nala. "That thing is really scary. I don't think this guy could take it in a fight."

"He doesn't have to fight it head on," corrected her older self. "That's part of being king."

"Guys, I d-" Kovu tried again, to no avail.

"To be honest, I'd rather take my chances with the demon than listen to you people argue," snorted Shenzi dismissively, interrupting him.

"Will everyone be quiet and give Kovu a little space?" pleaded Kiara. "I'm sure he'll think of a great plan."

"Well he'd better," sniffed Zazu. "As things stand, he's shaping up to be a pretty sub-par king."

"_I don't want to be any kind of king!_" Kovu exploded suddenly, startling all present.

In the silence which followed, Kovu continued in a quieter but still agitated voice. "I don't want to be king. I never did; I never asked for this!" He laughed nervously, almost maniacally. "You people are obsessed with this king business. I don't care about it. I just want to settle down with Kiara. That's all I ever wanted. All this management and planning and dealing with people; I can't do any of this, and I don't want to either. I'm not going to be king. I pre-emptively abdicate. I'm out."

When no-one said anything, Kovu clarified "Oh, I'll still help you fight the demon thing. I'm not an idiot, or a jerk. But you're not going to convince me to lead the charge."

The silence dragged on uncomfortably. Eventually, Zira broke it by muttering "Well, at least now I know that that talk of you being my son was wrong."

"This is unacceptable!" yelled Zazu at the top of his lungs. "You can't just walk away from the throne!"

"Why not?" retorted Kovu. "You didn't want me as king anyway."

Zazu merely glared at him.

"You guys realize there's a demon out there, right?" interjected Shenzi. "How come no-one cares about the magical evil monster, but you're all shocked by this king garbage?"

"I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with the hyena," piped up the younger Nala. "You guys have weird priorities."

As this was being said, Kiara approached Kovu. "Kovu, I'm not..." She trailed off, not sure of where to take the sentence.

"Kiara, when you and I first met, you didn't really look forward to being queen. Has that changed?"

The lioness considered the question. "Well... I guess not. But I have to be queen. That's just how it works."

"Says who?" asked Kovu. "Okay, maybe that's how things usually are. But come on... everything's changed in the span of day. Why not this too?"

Before she could answer, Kiara realized that everyone's attention was focused on the sky, so she beckoned Kovu to follow their gaze. Closing in on Pride Rock was a blue dot moving with incredible urgency.

The group watched in silence until the bird landed awkwardly, breathing heavily and clearly shaken. Zazu inspected the newcomer and and squawked in confusion when he saw that he was looking at a mirror image of himself.

When he looked up and saw that everyone was watching him, the newly-arrived Zazu blurted out "Termite hill – heard screaming – by the Circle, the _bodies_ – oh no, no no n-"

"Zazu!" yelled the older Nala, further perplexing the majordomo who had been present all along. "Zazu, slow down. What happened?"

The bird gulped down a few more breaths of air and tried to steady himself. "The demon," he finally managed. "It's killing everything. And coming here."


	23. A cub sandwich

Vitani gently set down a selection of herbs next to young Simba. He was clearly nervous about what was coming up, so she tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"What are these called?" he asked, looking at the plants.

"Um," answered Vitani. "Herbs."

"Which ones make the pain go away?"

Vitani relaxed a bit, now more confident of her medical knowledge. "All of them do."

That answer seemed to give Simba some peace of mind as well, and he managed to return Vitani's smile.

As soon as Vitani turned away from him, however, her expression darkened. She stalked up to the two Rafikis, intending to make clear her lack of enthusiasm for their plan.

"I think your plan is stupid," she said.

"Maybe it's not the most perfect plan," replied the younger Rafiki, "but we have no alternatives, do we?"

The set-up was simple. Everyone was seated just at the foot of Pride Rock. Scar, who unlike Vitani showed great interest in the project, had procured a sharp rock. Rafiki-2, the younger, was to cut a small notch in the younger Simba's ear, as painlessly as possible. Rafiki-1, the older, would keep a steady eye on the older Simba. This step may well turn out to be pointless, as both Rafikis theorized that if the process worked it would be immensely painful for the older Simba, so chances are they would become immediately aware of whether or not the experiment was a success.

The two Simbas sat facing each other, with a Rafiki by each of their sides. Around them, a crowd was forming. Scar looked on sourly: Taka hated to see his nephew, already put through so much, being used as a guinea pig, and both Scar and Wazimu were fully aware that if this worked, they were next in line. Sarabi was also concerned for the safety of her son, and it had taken a lot of persuasion from both the two baboons and the young Simba – who was willing to do his part – to get her consent. Even though she had eventually relented, she was still uneasy. Sarafina sat next to her old friend, and did her best to reassure her. Vitani shuffled away from the shaman she had been talking to and sat next to Scar. The rest of the lioness shared the general feeling of anxiety the others were experiencing.

Rafiki-2 stood over the younger Simba, watching him bite down experimentally on the herbs offered to him. The baboon twisted the sharp rock in his hand nervously, wishing there was indeed an alternative. Across from him, Rafiki-1 and Simba watched on.

The atmosphere was thick and heavy, hanging over the crowd like a dark cloud of worry. The lionesses alternated between throwing each other distressed glances and looking at the scene in front of them, expectant of the horrible event which was about to unfold. Sarabi could barely bring herself to watch her son being hurt, and even Vitani, usually steely, was clearly perturbed about what was about to befall her cousin. The silence was crushing.

"Oh, get on with it!" yelled Scar impatiently.

Both Rafikis threw the dark lion a glare, but he was right – putting off the procedure would benefit no-one, especially not anyone being menaced by Wazimu.

With every party involved being prepared, there was no further cause for putting it off. Rafiki hunkered down, brandished the rock, winced, and began cutting a hole in the cub's ear.

The crowd shifted unhappily. Sarabi covered her eyes with her good leg.

"_Oh, I can't watch_," moaned Taka.

"_Then shut up and stop ruining the show!_" chastised Wazimu.

Mercifully for the young lion, the herbs had apparently kicked in, and he seemed untroubled by the painful procedure he was undergoing. In fact, he seemed totally unaware of everything that was going on. Vitani realized belatedly that she probably gave him slightly too strong a dose for his size. No harm done would be done, most likely; he'd just be zoned out for some time.

The older Simba watched carefully as he saw his own ear be cut open. Aside from a confused discomfort, he didn't feel any different. He wasn't sure if he was even supposed to feel different. Upon volunteering alongside his younger self, the two Rafikis had explained things to him. Although he was no expert, he had been expecting having his ear cut off through time to sting more.

The rest of the unsettling procedure was conducted quickly, and it wasn't long before Simba's ear sported a jagged semicircle. The younger Rafiki hastily applied some salve to stop the bleeding, and began wrapping a bandage made of leaves. While doing so, he turned to his older self with a questioning look. The elder Rafiki passed on the same look to Simba's adult self. The others all leaned in closer as well, waiting to hear what Simba had to say.

"Well," he said slowly, "my ear's a little itchy, but I think that's just from watching."

"Are you sure?" asked the Rafiki closest to him.

"Pretty sure," answered Simba sadly. "For one thing, it's the other ear..."

The air filled with the sound that is produced when a large crowd collectively realizes that they aren't going to get what they were hoping for. The space left aside for the experiment was no longer sacred nor interesting, so the pride drifted apart. Sarabi limped hurriedly over to her son, followed closely by Sarafina.

"_So, how does this leave us?_" Scar asked internally.

"_Bored_," replied Wazimu. "_That was a real let-down. I expected a lot more screaming._"

"_I'm surrounded by psychopaths_," intoned Taka wearily.

The younger Simba opened his eyes blearily, looking up at his mother. Sarabi gave a relieved smile and sat down next to him.

Vitani approached the two Rafikis, who were both sitting in despondent thought. "So, is that it?" she asked. "Is there nothing else we can do?"

The two shamans sighed, not quite in unison. "Maybe, given time, we can think of something," said the elder.

"Time's the one thing we don't have," said Vitani gravely. "Which is kind of ironic, really."

Scar shuffled up to them sullenly. No-one spoke, with the quartet just watching Simba join his mother and mother-in-law in smiling down at himself.

Scar massaged his temple. "My head is about to explode."

"Why's that?" asked Rafiki-2 drily. "Craziness acting up again?"

"That," growled Scar, "and I'm just about sick of this time-travel ridiculousness." He thought for a moment, possibly consulting Taka. "How hard," he continued eventually, "how hard would it be to just forget any of this ever happened? Try to move on as though everything was fine?"

"Pretty hard, probably," answered Vitani. Then, after much fast-paced internal debate, she finished her sentence with "...Father."

Scar glanced at her, then looked away, saying nothing.

After a while, Rafiki-1 cleared his throat. "So, since this plan didn't work, what's the next one?"

"Should we really even bother with one?" spat Scar cynically.

"I just told you, no-one's buying your 'Ignore This Happened and It Might Go Away' policy," snapped Vitani.

Scar waved her away with a tired gesture. "Whatever. Do something if you want. I'm just saying that plans are overrated."

The Rafikis gave each other a symmetrical look. "That's odd, coming from you," said the younger one.

"Well, maybe I'm having an epiphany," snarled the lion with no small degree of sarcasm. "But thinking back, I can't remember a single plan that went as I intended it. The water buffalo incident," he fumed, pointing to his scar. "The elephant graveyard plan. Even my magnum opus, the stampede."

Vitani and the older Rafiki nodded. The younger baboon, on the other hand, blinked. "Wait, I thought you said earlier that that wasn't you."

"That's because it wasn't me," said Scar, so smoothly he didn't even change tone. Before Rafiki could raise further objections, Scar continued. "The point is, I'm sick of concocting schemes, setting things up just so, and then watching them all fall apart when the time comes. I'm out. If you're going to try to _plan_ your way out of this, then... good luck." With that, Scar stormed off to the top of Pride Rock, intending to cheer himself up by knocking bones of the highest point of the geological structure.

Rafiki-2 crossed his arms. "Why is it that that little speech almost disturbs me more than the demon?"

"Because he just admitted to causing the stampede?" offered Vitani, although seemingly neither of the baboons heard her.

Rafiki-1 shook his head. "I've known Scar since he was Taka. He's always loved solving problems the cerebral way. The gravity of the situation must have finally caught up to him."

Vitani looked behind her to see Simba experimentally prod his younger self, whose only response was to weakly roll over.

"Maybe I should try talking to him," she said. "_More productive than what anyone else is doing_," she added mentally, shooting her cousin a dirty look that went unnoticed.

"Very well," sighed the younger Rafiki, the elder shaman having already lapsed into silence. "Tell us if anything important comes to mind."

"I will," Vitani answered. With that, she strode away from the group and began to ascend Pride Rock.


	24. Impeccable timing

Just as Vitani was slowly ascending Pride Rock, her mother, adopted brother, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law, as well as a hyena and hippopotamus she had no real relation to, were rapidly descending it.

They had left the young Nala behind, since bringing a child along to face a powerful monster was unanimously agreed to be a bad decision. They had also left both Zazus behind, the younger being in a state of great distress and the older being entrusted with Nala's safety. The others – Nala-1, Kovu, Kiara, Zira, Shenzi and Kirefu – were heading out to confront Wazimu.

"I don't see why I'm being dragged along!" scoffed Shenzi, her anger just about eclipsing her fear. "This ain't my problem, it's yours! No way I'm fighting the demon!"

"Silence!" snapped Zira. "We need you."

"Need me? What for?"

"Right now, the plan is to feed you to the demon, and see if that slows it down."

"I hate you guys," sulked Shenzi. "I hate all of you."

"Uh, speaking of plans... Zira," said Kovu, still struggling with the name, "have you any tactical suggestions?"

Zira blinked at him. "What?"

"You know... flank, attack as a unit, go for the eyes, anything like that?" asked Kovu hopefully.

"No... why would I know any of that?"

"But," stuttered Kiara, "but you, earlier, when..."

"When what?" asked Zira, eyes narrowing.

"When nothing," answered Nala quickly. She murmured to Kovu and Kiara "Do you think telling her about her crazy war days is really a priority right now?"

"Of course not," replied Kovu in a whisper, "but I was hoping she at least had something."

"I guess she only got interested in tactics after... you know," sighed Kiara.

The six trailed off into silence for a short while.

"And another thing!" piped up Shenzi suddenly. "Why are we even running to _him _anyway? Why can't we just wait for him to come to us? Sorry," she corrected, "why don't _you _wait it out while _I _find Banzai and go home?"

"If I may?" said Kirefu.

Shenzi rolled her eyes. "Sure, why not. You're probably the person here I hate the least, though that's probably just because you're not a damn lion."

"If the reports on this creature's power and bloodlust are accurate, then it will traverse the entire kingdom in its destructive state, and hence eventually and inevitably confront the royal family," explained the hippo. "Thus, facing the so-called 'demon' as soon as is possible is a wise decision."

"Yeah, so you can die quick and not have to watch it kill everyone else."

"That is not what I..." began Kirefu.

"Save your breath, hippo," said Zira. "Reason doesn't reach this one. It doesn't get through her mangy ears into her thick skull!"

As Shenzi and Zira got into another argument, and Nala and Kiara watched them bemusedly, Kovu slowed his pace slightly to fall in line with Kirefu.

"Zira's probably not going to let the hyena go any time soon," he said quietly, "but it is true that this is our problem to deal with. You don't have to come along if you don't want to, you know."

"I thank you for your concern, Your Highness, but I believe I will accompany you nonetheless," replied Kirefu. "I must admit to being quite curious as to the veracity of these rumours. And furthermore," he added, looking at Kovu, "it's as I said. It may be your obligation to deal with the threat, but it affects all of us."

"Yeah, you've got me there," admitted Kovu. They walked in silence for a few moments. "Listen, I have a question," said Kovu.

"Sir?"

"Call me cynical, but you've been awfully helpful to me. Really helpful. A lot more helpful than someone _would_ be to me, considering what everyone thinks of me right now. And don't give me any of that stuff about always following the royal family," he added quickly, as Kirefu went to respond. "Firstly, no-one actually thinks like that, not even you, and secondly, there's a difference between not opposing someone and giving them as much help as you did. I mean, you were even part of the crowd that wanted to see me exiled!"

"Well, if you are adamant that my actions are not borne out of mere patriotism, I can offer you another explanation for my assistance of you," said Kirefu. "It so happens that I have above average hearing. Shortly before you and I bumped into each other, I overheard you muttering to yourself."

Kovu's eyes widened. "You... did?"

"Indeed so. Something to the effect of how, despite the citizen's mistrust of you, you were intent on returning things to normal. The phrase 'self-righteous paranoia' stood out particularly."

"Is that so?" asked Kovu, embarrassed. He hadn't realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

"Your decision to decline the throne is unorthodox," acknowledged Kirefu, "but you nonetheless care for the subjects in this kingdom. That is most admirable, considering, as you mentioned, public opinion."

"Thanks..." said Kovu.

"There are some who say this kingdom has a way of judging the character of its ruler," rumbled Kirefu, staring at nothing in particular, "hence the drought during Scar's rule. Personally, I find the idea of nature having such capacities to be unlikely. But I do feel that the people here appreciate their kings, and try to forgive their past transgressions. Of course, that is merely my opinion." The hippopotamus lapsed into silence.

No other words were spoken as the group approached Wazimu. The time for words was drawing to a close.

* * *

><p>To say the group followed the trail of destruction would be dramatic, but false. Seeing as they were coming from Pride Rock, and Wazimu from the Outlands, they saw no trace of the being's rampage. If anything, seeing the pristine landscape and the mildly confused but completely unharmed animals only underlined the horror of what they knew was to come.<p>

Kiara heard it first, but it wasn't long before they all could. Joyous, sadistic cackling underscored with screaming and the occasional thump. They collectively quickened their pace.

They crested an ash-covered hill and were met with a disquieting sight. Mufasa was pinning down a gazelle. His face had a wicked grin and purple eyes, neither of which were truly his.

"Ah! Such power!" remarked Wazimu, using Mufasa's paw to swat the gazelle away. "So much better than a decrepit hyena!"

The group looked down on it quietly.

"Oh, sure," whispered Shenzi, rolling her eyes. "None of you are brave now."

"Someone say something!" hissed Nala.

Kirefu cleared his throat loudly, and Wazimu looked up.

"Hello," said Kirefu.

"Hello," returned Wazimu, smilingly bemusedly.

"We're here to stop you."

Wazimu nodded politely, as though this was an appointment it had been expecting. "Ah, of course. Do come on down."

The group shared a few confused glances over Wazimu's nonchalance, but did as it instructed. They collected themselves and tried to look intimidating.

"So, is this everyone?" Wazimu asked. He seemed slightly disappointed.

Kovu counted himself, Kiara, Nala, Zira, Shenzi and Kirefu. "Um, yes."

"Oh." Mufasa's paw pulled out a weed. "There's six of you."

"...And?" Nala asked.

Wazimu looked like it was eating a lemon. "Hmm. I dunno. It's just, six versus one, it's not... climactic enough. No, not at all."

"What?" asked Zira.

Wazimu gestured dramatically to their surroundings – damaged trees and wounded animals. "Look at this!" it yelled. "This is it. This is your best shot at stopping my reign of destruction, and _what_ do you have? A six on one battle? Nah. I demand a minimum of eight on one, and that's at the very least."

Kiara leaned in close to her mate. "Psst, Kovu."

"What?"

"I think this guy might be crazy."

"No kidding." Kovu straightened up and cleared his throat. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I dunno," muttered Wazimu. "Give me a minute."

Kirefu coughed. "May I?"

"Oh, this oughtta be good," murmured Shenzi.

Wazimu regarding the hippopotamus. "What?"

"I am given to understand that you apparently can manipulate time, and have visited an era in the past. Why not use this power to give us the advantage you so kindly wish to afford us?"

Wazimu considered this, and then its purple eyes sparkled. "Aha! Good thinking! I can even have my old buddy Scar on hand to personally kill! This is going to be just swell. Nice job, chubby."

Wazimu breathed deeply, closed its eyes, and focused. It chuckled quietly to itself as a purple disc began to grow beside it. It slowly enlarged, tearing a perfectly round hole in the air itself. When it was approximately a meter across, it stopped.

Wazimu smiled to itself. "I dare say I'm getting better at this. That should hold for a good while."

"Oh hey, an exit," said Shenzi. "I'd better test it!" Before anyone could stop her, she scampered through the purple disc and was gone.

"Humph," scoffed Wazimu distastefully. "That was a little unsporting. I'll be sure to track her down and kill her later."

"Not if I kill her first!" countered Zira.

Wazimu chuckled. "I find your enthusiasm adorable. But do try to focus your homicidal urges." It gave a grand bow. "I'm the only one you should be concerned with right now."


	25. Descending from on high

Scar scowled down at his kingdom, still sour over the argument he had had with the two Rafikis. Taka worried about what was going to happen to the others. Wazimu made a clicking noise arhythmically with the intention of annoying the other two people sharing the skull.

Someone coughed behind Scar and he turned. Vitani was sitting there with an expression that was a mixture of concern and irritation.

"Pull yourself together," she said. "We need you down there."

"Hah. No-one needs me," shot back Scar. "I'll just mope up here, thanks."

"Come on. This isn't like you."

"_Au contraire_. It's precisely like me. Cowering away from the problem, condemning those around me. In fact, I usually do those things separately, so this is just efficiency."

Vitani lost her patience with the smirking lion sitting across from her. "Damn it, father!" she snapped. Scar raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. Vitani felt herself blush. "Sorry," she stammered. "Slip of the tongue."

"Hmm." Scar narrowed his eyes. "You do know I'm not actually your father."

"We can debate that, really."

"I'm just saying. We didn't get to the part where you were born. So, we aren't related. I may as well be a completely different person to your father."

Vitani gave Scar a cold look for a few moments, but then smirked slightly to herself. "That's probably for the best," she said, stretching nonchalantly.

"Excuse me?" said Scar suspiciously.

"I said it's probably for the best you're different from my father. After all, my father was a madman who couldn't outsmart a rock. He'd think the rock was planning a sneak attack and would spend days staring at it, waiting for it to move."

Scar's brow furrowed. "Is that so?" he asked darkly.

"Oh yeah. Complete idiot. Real shame Wazimu made him crazy, if that's what really happened. A mind is a terrible thing to waste."

"Indeed it is," murmured Scar distastefully.

"_Go on_," urged Taka impatiently. "_Go help them already!"_ Scar ignored him.

"Yep," said Vitani casually. "I'd say I got all my brains from mom."

Scar's eye twitched. "Take that back!" he yelled suddenly.

Vitani started. "Take what back?" she asked innocently.

"You did _not_ get your intelligence from _Zira_."

Vitani's smirk widened. "And what makes you say that?"

"Because if you had, your attempt at tricking me into helping you would be far, far more obvious. But as it stands, it was a noble effort."

Vitani's face fell a little. "Saw through it, huh?"

Scar treated her to a small smile. "Oh my, yes. But I am the master of this kind of thing. As I say, you show promise."

Vitani laughed. Then she said, "I probably shouldn't laugh. You killed your brother using this kind of thing."

"_Tried _to kill him."

"Not where I came from."

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, staring out over the Pridelands. Vitani's eye followed a herd of antelope gambolling freely on the lush grass below.

"I have to say, you guys have a much nicer version of the kingdom than we do," she said. Scar grunted in agreement, the sun catching his emerald eyes and making them sparkle.

"So... are you going to help or what?" asked Vitani hopefully. Scar rolled his eyes.

"I don't know what to _tell _you, Vitani. I wasn't exaggerating down there. I am genuinely out of ideas."

Vitani thought about this for a while. "You know, after you died, Zira... Mother... was always planning. I think she was doing her best to be like you. For hours every day, she'd be by herself, muttering and scribbling. Then she would drill tactics into us, making sure we all were perfectly aware of her latest plan. She must have made almost a hundred different plans, most of which she didn't even develop fully until moving on to the next one. Do you know how we ended up attacking Simba?"

"Please, do share," said Scar, only mildly sarcastic.

"Her most solid plan – though that's not saying much – was getting Kovu into Simba's pride, and then having him assassinate him. But as I mys-"

"Wait, wait. Who's Kovu?"

"Oh, he's a cub you adopted to be your heir."

"But... didn't I have children of my own? You, for example?"

"Oh yes. But you absolutely hated the first one, Nuka, and you never really considered me a candidate for the position of _King_."

"Hmm. Well, anyway, go on."

"Right. Yeah. So, Kovu was supposed to kill Simba. But as I myself saw, he had abandoned us for Simba and his daughter, who he was crushing on. So, with the plan in shambles, we just attacked Simba, and when that only resulted in us injuring him and causing Nuka's death, we did the only logical thing."

"Which was?"

"Attack Simba a second time."

"Genius."

"I know. And it almost worked. But our not-plan was undone by the not-plan of Kovu and Simba's daughter, who just showed up in the middle of the battle and yelled at us to stop."

"And that worked?"

"Oh yeah. Well, it was mostly because of me, but still. The point I'm trying to make is that sometimes plans are over-rated. Sometimes, you just have to charge in and hope for the best."

Scar smiled. "Now, you got _that _from Zira."

"So, will you help now?"

Scar looked at his daughter's hopeful smile and said "Of course not."

Vitani groaned and had to resist the urge to slam her head into the rock below her feet. "Why not?!"

"I don't know," muttered Scar sullenly, not unlike a moody teenager.

"_Yes you do_," protested Taka. "_And the least you can do is tell her._"

Scar bit his lip, but relented for once to the voice in his head. That is to say, the voice that wasn't playfully urging him to push Vitani off of Pride Rock.

"I suppose..." Scar paused, trying to find the best words, and Vitani watched him patiently. "I've been thinking about this whole Wazimu situation recently. Hell, I've been hearing Wazimu recently, for the first time in years. And with that voice always in the back of my mind... I don't know," he said again. "I feel like only half of someone."

"Come on, father," cajoled Vitani. "You're better than everyone else here."

"Oh, I know that." Scar's arrogance was so ingrained into his being that it almost didn't enter his tone. To him, it wasn't opinion, it was fact. "But nonetheless."

"You know, Kiara – Simba's daughter – was always complaining about feeling like a half."

"Oh? And how did she solve it?" asked Scar in a monotone.

"She started dating Kovu." Scar gave her a look and Vitani clarified quickly "Now, obviously, that exact method won't work for you, but, you know... food for thought."

Scar settled his head on his paws while Taka urgently waved an image of Zira in front of his mind's eye.

Realizing that she probably wouldn't get much else out of Scar for the time being, Vitani followed his gaze and resumed admiring the view of the kingdom. After a few moments, she frowned at something in the distance which caught her eye. "Scar," she queried, "are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"If you mean a kingdom that hates me, then yes."

"Oh, get over yourself. Down there. Look."

Scar followed where she was pointing, and squinted. His eyes adjusted for the distance and he tensed. "No. It can't be."

"_It iiissss_," sang Wazimu cheerfully.

On the plains, not that far from Pride Rock, was a round disc of solid purple.

They didn't waste time discussing it. They didn't know how long it would be open, after all. Instead, they both broke into a run down Pride Rock, calling to the others.

* * *

><p>They hadn't wasted time. They held hurriedly convened to decide who would go. Simba and Vitani were obvious choices, since it likely led to their time, but the older Rafiki was told to stay behind. He was already drained from the events of the past day, and even if the portal didn't lead to a trap – which Scar pessimistically assumed to be the case – the old baboon would still struggle with even getting to the disc in time. Hence, his younger self decided to accompany the lions. Simba knew from experience that the shaman hit harder than his friendly, decrepit appearance would suggest.<p>

Sarabi expressed some interest in going, mostly in order to get some well-deserved vengeance on Wazimu, but recognized that with her injury it was wiser to stay behind. The other lionesses were less enthusiastic about facing the demon again. Even the young Simba, usually so cavalier in the face of danger, was determined to avoid the monster. He had waved Simba goodbye, asking that they get his best friend and father back soon, and saying he was proud of his future self. Simba was quite pleased. Vitani privately thought there was no accounting for taste.

Scar was content to stay behind. Content to watch the others run off and be heroic. Content to know that they would all go die at the hands of his creation, leaving him to rule half-heartedly over a broken, scared kingdom.

It is therefore hard to say why Scar found himself once again moving as quickly as he could through the Pridelands, Simba, Rafiki and Vitani following his lead, all four determined to find and stop Wazimu. But it can be assumed that Taka certainly had something to do with it.

After a run made to last eternity by the nervous adrenalin pumping through Scar's veins, they arrived. The disc sat unmoving, almost innocently, in mid-air. A few animals were nearby, but only stared at in in confusion, too afraid to approach. The three lions and one baboon regarded the portal suspiciously.

"Too perfect," said Scar simply.

Vitani nodded in agreement. "Obviously a trap."

"Even I can see that," smiled Simba ruefully, earning a glance from Scar and Vitani.

"But the question is, what do we do about it?" said Rafiki pointedly.

Simba looked to Scar. Scar looked at Vitani, who gave him a meaningful nod. Scar stared into the purple abyss, and Taka and Wazimu shifted impatiently in his head, awaiting his verdict.

A smirk grew on the lion's face as he announced the entire extent of his plan.

"Charge in, and hope for the best."


	26. Must it all end in violence?

Wazimu sat contentedly next to the portal, humming to itself. The group who had come to oppose him, now minus Shenzi, sat some distance away from it uneasily. Kirefu had tried to speak to Wazimu a few times, but Kovu had shushed him. Just because Wazimu was insane was no guarantee that it wouldn't listen to a perfectly logical argument for why it should start killing them immediately.

Just as Wazimu was about to lose patience, they appeared. One moment, there was no-one else beside the portal; the next, Scar, Vitani, Rafiki and Simba stood blinking the purple out of their eyes. Everyone leapt to their feet joyfully.

"Dad!" exclaimed Kiara.

"Vitani!" yelled Kovu.

"Scar!" said Zira.

"Scar?" asked Nala dubiously.

"Kiara!" said Simba.

"Simba!" cried Nala.

"Nala!" yelled Simba relievedly.

"Kovu!" yelled Vitani.

"Zira!" called Scar.

"Rafiki!" yelled Wazimu. A few people glanced at it, and Wazimu shrugged. "You looked left out."

The reunions were brief, but heartfelt. Simba ran to Kiara and Nala, and the family was whole again for the first time for an increasingly hard to remember period of time. Vitani ran to Kovu and gave him a sisterly headbutt. Scar approached Zira coolly, but to the surprise of both, he suddenly found himself enveloping her in a worried embrace. Scar growled at Taka internally as Zira blushed and gladly returned the gesture. Rafiki did what he usually did in these situations; look on with a quiet smile.

"Oh, how sickeningly heartwarming," Wazimu spat. "You have three seconds to contain your emotions before I lose my stomach and start vomiting fire."

"I doubt you can do that," said Rafiki.

Wazimu tossed Mufasa's head impatiently. "Maybe I can! Do you want to find out?"

"I'm afraid he's right," murmured Scar. "The sooner we get this over with, the better."

"But what if we-?" asked Kiara worriedly.

Kovu placed a paw on her shoulder reassuringly. "We won't."

"Hmm, which way should I do this?" wondered Wazimu aloud. "Comically fast, or tortuously slow?"

The assorted lions, lionesses and baboon fanned out from each other until they surrounded Wazimu in a semicircular formation.

"Come on!" taunted Wazimu. "Who wants to try their luck against Wazimufasa?"

His audience showed no sign of being amused, or indeed any reaction to the so-called joke. Their eyes were flinty, focused on the demon.

Wazimu's face soured. "Tortuously slow it is then." It cracked its neck, and lightning struck nearby to underline its point. Unfortunately, the lightning struck Kirefu. The hippopotamus fell over slowly, like an old tree, before landing on his side, smoking very softly.

"Oh no!" yelled Simba. Then he added "Did I know that guy? He looks familiar."

"Whoops," said Wazimu flatly. "I wasn't aiming for him." It was hard to tell whether or not it was lying.

Wazimu turned its attention back to the others just in time to briefly process Kovu's infuriated face approach it at speed before Kovu's claws raked across Mufasa's face. Wazimu lost its footing from the blow, and Kovu used this opportunity to his advantage, savaging Wazimu with all of his strength.

Everyone, not least Wazimu, was taken aback by this. Zira recovered first. "Charge!" she commanded in a tone that reminded those around her about her enthusiastic military career. The same lioness was still present, in a sense. The group rallied behind her quickly and charged up to aid Kovu.

Wazimu had also recovered its footing and faculties. "My, you're a strong one," it remarked calmly. "But not strong enough!" Kovu went in to bite Mufasa's throat and Wazimu knocked him aside with a paw. Then Wazimu swept its other paw forward and a gust of wind buffeted Kovu off of his feet and back some distance. Kiara grabbed him and helped him to stand.

Wazimu smirked, but its smile died upon seeing Zira, Scar, Simba, Nala, Vitani and Rafiki charging at him. It arranged Mufasa's face into a businesslike scowl.

Zira, having taken point, was the first to leap at him. Because she was airborne, Wazimu threw her back some distance with the wind. Nala came at its right, biting at Mufasa's shoulder, and Vitani dived towards its left, biting his back knee. Wazimu hit Nala twice in the face, loosening her grasp, and then blew her backwards. It then elbowed Vitani in the throat. The young lioness gasped, and Wazimu sent her flying into Zira, who had already nearly reached Wazimu again.

Rafiki let loose a battle cry and flew at Wazimu at a speed far faster than his age would suggest he was capable of. He struck Mufasa's face several times very quickly with his staff. Wazimu tried to throw him with wind, but Rafiki grabbed on to Mufasa's mane, flipped over him, and began striking it from behind. Wazimu kicked him in the stomach with a hind leg, and then sent him barrelling in that direction with a burst of air, away from the fight.

Wazimu looked up. The only two people within reach of it were Scar and Simba. Both of them were regarding it with a quiet fear, but for different reasons; Scar for what was inside, Simba for what was outside.

"I'm spoiled for choice!" joked Wazimu. "Which one to kill first? Hmm... Scar, leave us. I'll deal with you later."

"You can't make me leave with mere _words_," spat Scar.

Wazimu gave a pleasant shrug. "Actions it is, then."

Scar's eyes widened. "_Nice choice of words, dumbass_," thought Taka.

Wazimu pulled Scar closer with an air current. In the space of a few seconds, it struck Scar several times in the head, and then gave him a crippling blow to the chest. Scar felt something crack, and hot pain coursed from that part of his body to every extremity. Then, Wazimu aimed upwards and sent Scar flying into the sky.

Wazimu then turned to Simba, wearing a bright smile as though nothing had happened. "Now. What's gotten into you, Your _Majesty_?"

"I don't want to fight you," said Simba quietly.

Wazimu laughed. "No. You don't want to fight your father. But I can tell you're just _dying_ to fight me."

Simba took a step back, cautious. "Still need some incentive?" asked Wazimu. "Well, since we're talking about dying, guess who I met recently? Your two moron friends."

Simba's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah, you're friends with the meerkat and warthog, right?" Wazimu gave another hearty laugh. "I tell you, I don't care for their jokes, but at least they tasted good!"

In the space of an instant, Simba crossed the distance between himself and Wazimu, face contorted in rage, and began slashing deeply at Mufasa's face. "_**MURDERER!**_" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "_**I'LL KILL YOU!**_"

"Hmm. That's a bit hypocritical," frowned Wazimu under its new gashes.

Scar hadn't been thrown far, but it was still too high for his liking. He landed roughly on to the hard ground, and felt yet another crack. He exhaled softly, as though deflating.

Zira's eyes widened, her expression immediately shifting from wartime glee to fearful concern. She ran over to where Scar had fallen. She looked him up and down frantically with misting eyes, examining his wounds. Scar groaned softly.

"_This is it,"_ Scar thought pitifully. "_This time for definite. I'm dying. I hope you're happy now, you bawling coward!"_

"_To be honest_," replied Taka, barely making Zira out through Scar's mostly closed eyes, "_I'm about as happy as the situation allows. We're dying in the embrace of a young, loving lioness, after bravely facing a monstrous beast. It's an honourable death_."

"_It's still_ death," huffed Scar.

"_Which brings me to my point_," added Wazimu. "_The baboon thinks I'm not as powerful as my older self, but I would describe this as a 'sink-or-swim' situation. And so, I bid you both adieu. I'll miss the acerbic conversation. Bye_!"

The dark lion's body began to convulse, as though he was coughing up a particularly malevolent furball. Rafiki, picking himself up from where the first Wazimu had thrown him, noticed this.

"The younger Wazimu!" he yelled. "It's leaving Scar!" He tried to run over to the lion, but it was clear he was too far away.

There were in fact only two people who were close enough to Scar to take action. One was Zira, so grief-stricken she appeared to be ignoring not only Rafiki's warning, but the very process of Wazimu leaving, despite being mere centimetres away from it. She had buried her face in Scar's pelt, and thus couldn't see the increasingly distinct purple haze around Scar's head.

The other person was Vitani. She heard Rafiki yell, turned to Scar, and processed very quickly what was going to happen next. She threw herself at Zira, digging her claws into the top of her mother's body. She pulled Zira over Scar, tripping her on him, and the two lionesses ended up in a tangle, rolling away from Scar. They fell apart a safe distance away. Zira landed on her side, completely confused. Vitani landed on her back, staring upwards.

"_What a moron!_" she thought. She would have chided her mother aloud if she had any breath left. "_Remind me never to fall in love._"

Zira gasped, and Vitani forced herself to look up. Wazimu had exited Scar's body. In the open air, its form was difficult to describe. The first thing which came to Vitani's mind was lightning, from its thin dimensions and jagged shape. It jolted through the air erratically, flying straight through the space Zira had occupied seconds before. In desperation, it made a beeline for Kovu. He panicked and didn't react in time to dodge it; but thankfully, Kiara was there to react for him, pushing him out of the way. It tried arcing backwards to catch Kiara, but she was pulled out of the way by Nala.

At this point, there were only two sets of still-conscious eyes not staring at the freakish abomination; one purple, and one red.

Simba growled down at Wazimu. He had Mufasa pinned by the throat with one paw, and the other was drawn back, claws out.

"What are you going to do?" taunted Wazimu. "You wouldn't kill your own _father_."

Simba in merely roared in response, his eyes wild and tear-stained, and began to bring his claws down.

"Augh, maybe you would!" yelped Wazimu, its tone shifting instantly from mocking to fearful. "Too angry, _too angry_! Jump ship!"

Far faster than its younger self had managed, Wazimu erupted from Mufasa and leaped towards Simba. This happened simultaneously to the other Wazimu also entering Simba's mind. The others, a safe distance away, could only watch in horror as both Wazimus apparently disappeared into Simba's head. Simba screamed in agony and pawed desperately at his head, as though trying to dislodge it. He stumbled away from Mufasa drunkenly, let out a final anguished roar, and then crumpled.

"Simba!" cried Nala, rushing over to her husband. Rafiki followed her, shouting about the probable dangers of doing so, and Kiara also trailed worriedly behind her mother. Kovu was torn: he had the choice of either examining his father-in-law's barely breathing body, or his adopted father's barely breathing body.

"_Yay_," he thought to himself grimly. "_We win._"

Zira had slunk back over to Scar's side, and Vitani had followed her, although she cast looks in Simba's direction from time to time also. Scar appeared to have passed out completely, and his breath was ragged. Zira wailed and nuzzled him mournfully.

Inside Scar's mind, things were unusually quiet.

"_It's... gone_," Taka thought. "_Scar... it's gone!_"

"_I can see that, you cretin_," choked Scar weakly.

"_This is wonderful! I feel so much better!_" Then Taka realized something. "_Wait, why aren't you happy? You hated it too._"

"_I... don't feel well,_" moaned Scar. "_I feel woozy._"

"_Woozy? Why? I feel superb_."

Scar put two and two together, despite the increasing feeling of weakness which was gnawing at him. "_Didn't... Wazimu say that I was... based on both you and it_?"

"_Yes...?_" Taka caught up to Scar's train of thought. "_You mean... haha! Even better! I'll be rid of both of you!_"

Scar growled. "_You have... fun without me, you mewling knave. I hope you... enjoy explaining to... everyone about... about..._"

Before Scar could finish his thought, he was gone. Taka couldn't say where exactly he had went, but it was clear that for the first time in what seemed like a century, Taka was the sole occupant of his own skull.

It felt pretty nice.

Taka forced his eyes open. He was met by a view of Zira leaning over him, her eyes closed despondently. Vitani nudged her, and pointed her towards Taka's eyes. Zira gasped and lay a gentle paw on his face.

"Scar, you're alive!" she exclaimed. She was still crying profusely, but for different reasons.

The lion smiled warmly and lay his paw over Zira's. "Zira, my dear..."

The lion's voice had changed. It still retained the sophisticated, silky quality, but it no longer dripped with the snide hint of implied malice that underscored every word Scar spoke. Instead, there was an intonation of something else. Almost... friendliness?

His smile was pained, but more genuine than any expression Zira had ever seen him make before. "... You're just slightly incorrect."


	27. Epilogue: Til we find our place

"You're kidding," said Nala flatly.

"This is no laughing matter," responded Vitani, despite the smile which was creeping on to her face.

Nala exhaled deeply. "Let's just take stock for a moment. Simba – my husband, the king – is... I don't know what's happened to him. But he's not well."

Vitani's smile died. "Yeah."

All assembled took a brief, worried glance at Simba. He was still lying where he had fallen, Rafiki bending over him cautiously. The baboon had closed the king's eyes, partly because he knew they couldn't really see anything, and partly to spare his family and friends from seeing the unnerving purple patterns which jolted erratically over them.

Nala quickly turned away, uncomfortable with observing her husband's current state. She cleared her throat to continue. "During this whole Wazimu fiasco, Kovu freaked out, and now he doesn't want to be king."

"I _never_ wanted to be king!" protested Kovu.

"So," continued Nala, too stressed to acknowledge him, "this means that we don't have a king, or a prince to replace him."

"Yes," said Vitani.

Nala took another deep breath. "_Meanwhile_, the magic time portal is still open, and people will have to start going back to their own time."

"We should head back soon," Rafiki interjected. "Sarabi will be worried. And we need to get His Majesty back to _his_ kingdom as well," he added, nodding to a soundly sleeping Mufasa.

"Yes, yes, I know," said Nala. "Just, give me a moment to fully understand your suggestion, Vitani."

"It's not that complex. It's just a case of moving things around a little, that's all..."

Rafiki had been busy with his patients. There were of course the two kings, father and son, both lying inert on the ground. Mufasa seemed little worse for wear despite the immense amount of punishment, both mental and physical, he had recently taken. He had always been strong. Rafiki wasn't sure what, exactly, had befallen Simba, but he knew that nothing could be done for him presently, if ever. Kirefu was unconscious, but would probably be fine, if a little charred. Everyone else had incurred only minor injuries.

The wound that Scar had been so convinced was fatal had been, in fact, a broken rib. Taka was nothing if not grateful for Scar's hypochondria and low pain threshold.

He and Zira were a little ways away from the rest of the group, conversing privately. Zira had helped him stand, showing him a loving gentleness while doing so. However, the more Taka spoke, the less certain she had become.

"I'm sorry, I still don't quite follow," she apologized. Her expression was anxious. "You mean... you aren't Scar? Scar is... dead?"

"Yes, he is," replied Taka, "and as hard as it is for you to hear this, that's a good thing."

Zira looked him pitifully. "He didn't love you," continued Taka. "Every positive action he took towards you was my doing. He wanted to use you, at best, and for the most part he didn't care about you at all."

Zira dropped her gaze to the ground. "How can take anything you're saying as the truth?" she asked quietly.

"You can't, I suppose," he replied. He gently placed a paw on to one of Zira's. She raised her head to look back at him, and he managed a smile. "But I hope in time I can give you some evidence."

The lioness tilted her head questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"I'm asking you to give me a chance," he said softly.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a length of time both quickly lost track of. They didn't realize they were gradually leaning closer to each other until someone loudly cleared their throat next to them, snapping them out of their collective reverie.

"Do you mind?" asked Zira, annoyed.

"Yes, actually," replied Kovu, the source of the interruption. "I really, _really _don't want to watch this."

"Oh, come on," cajoled Kiara. "I think it's sweet. In a strange way."

"Speak for yourself," coughed Vitani. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"Was... everyone watching us?" asked Taka, perturbed.

"Well, only the people still conscious," laughed Rafiki as he leaned on his staff.

Nala walked up to Taka. "It's time we all went back to Pride Rock. And we need you to come with us. Vitani has a proposal which I... don't like," she said as diplomatically as she was able, "but I suppose it's our only option for now."

"Oh, thanks," replied Taka sarcastically. "I'm completely overwhelmed by your vote of confidence in me."

Vitani gave Zira a reassuring smile. "See? He hasn't changed that much."

* * *

><p>Nala's despair had been lifted somewhat upon seeing her younger self's joyous reaction to being told she could return home to her mother. The younger Nala nuzzled the older's leg, and thanked her profusely for her help. She went on to wish her good luck in improving her husband's health. Nala couldn't help but be buoyed by her own infectious optimism.<p>

It had taken a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, but they had eventually managed to ferry everyone at the portal to Pride Rock and everyone at Pride Rock to the portal. Zazu had made of point of mentioning how talking to his other self had been the most rewarding conversation he had had in years. In time, Rafiki, Nala and Zazu had been at the portal, the baboon hefting the still sleeping Mufasa in his thin blue arms.

"I'll send over your _me_ as soon as I can," Rafiki had laughed. "You come visit any time, you hear?"

"I'd like that," smiled Kiara.

"Yeah," agreed Kovu. "Me too."

That had been some time ago, now. Taka had lost track of time. The sheer enormity of what faced him – the excitement, the fear, the confusion, and the exhaustion... It was all a bit much.

He was sat in the main den of Pride Rock. It was so familiar, and yet so strange. He would've given more thought to it had he the time. In the corner, Simba lay, still unmoving. Taka did his best to ignore him, staring instead at the ground.

"You doing okay?" someone asked. Taka lifted his gaze to see Vitani had entered the den.

"Oh, you know," he said lightly. "Quivering in fear. Nothing much."

"I take it you're nervous then?" she said, sitting down next to him.

"Just a smidge. I mean, you say those people will recognize me; or rather, recognize _him_. You can understand my concerns."

Vitani nodded, and the two were quiet for a while. "You know, something occurred to me as we were going off to fight Wazimu that last time," she said.

"Yes?" said Taka.

"You've probably noticed by now that I kinda have this little thing with heights..."

"Your acrophobia has become... apparent, yes."

"It has, hasn't it? But..." Vitani's eyes focused on the middle distance. "When we talked, on top of Pride Rock, I was fine. I didn't even realize how afraid I should have been until afterwards. We were so high up, but all I did was enjoy the scenery."

"Why do you suppose that is?"

"Well, I could make a few guesses, maybe about being preoccupied by all this ridiculous Wazimu stuff," she said, "but really, I think the most likely explanation was you were there. It was talking to you that calmed me down." She smiled at him quietly. "Maybe Scar wasn't technically my father. But I'd like to think you still are."

Taka returned her smile. "Thanks. I needed to hear something like that."

"No problem. Now go on. They're waiting for you."

He lifted himself to his paws and stalked out of the cave, stepping out into the sunlight. On the promontory, Nala was addressing a crowd of the kingdom's subjects, all watching her with expressions denoting a mixture of bewilderment and woe. Nala was far too used to such expressions at this stage.

"Thus, Simba must take a leave of absence, due to... illness," she was explaining. "We... we can't say when he'll retake the throne. And so, a regent king has been appointed, to run the kingdom while Simba recuperates."

"We're not accepting Kovu as our ruler!" shouted a malcontent from within the crowd. The animals assembled broke into angry murmurs, either agreeing with the heckler or expressing distaste at his insolence towards the monarchy. They quickly returned to silence when they noticed Nala was giving the crowd a commanding glare.

"Well, see, there's the good news," said Nala haughtily, annoyed at the subject's tone. "You're _not_ getting Kovu as a ruler."

There was a pause. "Then who?" asked a voice near the front.

Nala exhaled deeply, and gestured for Taka to step forward.

He nervously climbed the slope to the frontal point of Pride Rock, giving a frightened, awkward grin to the crowd below. In return, they stared up at him in confused horror, mouths agape.

"Is that -?"

"-it is!"

"But how -?!"

"This whole thing is completely-"

"-thought we were rid of that piece of -"

"Zombie ghost, leave this place!"

"-utterly impossible."

"I take it back, I'd prefer Kovu."

Vitani watched her pseudo-parent ascend. Kovu, Kiara, Zira, Zazu and Nala all followed her gaze.

"Do you think this will actually work?" asked Zira.

Vitani patted her reassuringly on the back. "No," she said truthfully. "Not at all."

Taka roared.

* * *

><p><em>On this day last year, the first chapter of this story was uploaded. Time flies, hmm? It's been quite a year for me. I hope yours was enjoyable too, dear reader.<em>

_If it's alright by you, there are a few people I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge. To everyone who favourited, followed, or most especially reviewed this story, you have my deep gratitude. Specifically, a few spring to mind; Reldor, whose short but numerous reviews served as a reminder that yes, at least one person is reading this; Cylocrux, who gave me a good sharp kick when I needed it, update-wise; readsmanyfavsfew, whose upcoming chapter-by-chapter analysis I await with equal measures of excitement and trepidation; GeminiGemelo, a fellow Scar enthusiast and an utterly fantastic author who I am proud to call something of a penpal; and finally, alcoholicpolarbear, my first reader who has been with this story since the beginning. Many thanks to you all._

"_But IronicSnap!" I really, really hope you're saying to yourself. "Now that this story is complete, is there anything else we can read that you've written? Preferably something that involves Scar and Vitani because we've read this far and as such are evidently people of taste?" I'm proud to answer to the affirmative, hypothetical reader. But I'm afraid it's not going to be right here. While I hate to self promote, my next story is the labour of many months, and quite possibly the greatest story I will ever publish on this site. So I urge you to click on my profile and read the introductory explanation to my next tale, **"**_**Advent Crossover Crisis"**_. Feel under no pressure, but know this; were we within physical reach of one another, I would have grabbed you by whatever garments you wear over your shoulders and would be presently shaking you back and forth pleadingly. _

_Adieu, reader. Be sure to toss a review my way on your way out. And remember; the fact that you only live once does not excuse wandering blindly into the jaws of death. Goodnight, and good luck._


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